The forgotten Sister
by Schizophren
Summary: Mary has always been the one being ignored and she thinks that her fate will never change. That she is meant to stay alone forever but her life is about to change drastically, for the better or the worse? Well, that has to be figured out! Mary/OC
1. Just me

This just hit me when I watched the Pride and Prejudice Movie with Keira Knightly, because despite the book description. Mary is actually really pretty in the movie. So I didn't really understand why no one would want her.

So this story is about Mary finding her place in life, but it will feature her whole family and maybe a few historical characters^^

Most of the people belong to the genius of Jane Austen and if you don't recognize them, they're probably mine^^ except of course any historical characters, they belong to themselves.

Now have fun and please review, so that I know how you liked, I am always grateful for constructive criticism, flames will be ignored, though!

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I have always been the quiet one, the one who was ignored by everyone else, the one no one would listen to. Which was no surprise, my four sisters just took all the attention so nothing was left for me.

My oldest sister Jane was married for six months now, she had always been the most beautiful of us five. With her long light blond hair and her calm blue eyes, but not only that she was also kind and caring, always thinking of others before she thought of herself.

Just one year younger Elisabeth or Lizzie as we all called her was pretty too, with her light brown curly hair and matching eyes, but despite that she was unbelievingly outspoken, she said what she felt and was never intimidated by someone. That was probably the reason why she had found the good in Fitzwilliam Darcy, her husband for four months. He was always stiff and unfriendly, but it seemed like all of that was just a façade and deep down he was a kind and caring man. I couldn't keep the smile from forming on my lips, when I thought of those two. They were so different and yet they loved each other with a passion I didn't understand. After all I had never been in love, so I could not comprehend her behavior nor understand those feelings she was talking about. But as long as Lizzie was happy, she had always been the most understanding of my sisters. She had listened to me, to my worries and sorrows or just me playing on the piano forte, which I loved with all my heart.

Then there were of course my younger sisters Katherine called Kitty, and Lydia. Both beautiful, with curly hair and bubbly personalities. Though Lydia was two years younger than me she was already married, but only because she eloped with an officer, called George Wickham. I didn't like him from the very beginning and after the two just ran off, it seemed that I had a reason not to trust him in the first place. He had just married Lydia because Mr. Darcy, Lizzie's husband had given him a big amount of money, no one knew besides Lizzie and our father, but though they thought I wouldn't do anything else besides playing piano and reading books, I was listening most of the time. I was pretty good in hearing everything important, without really trying to. Part of my great ability to hear everything that was going on, was me being mute most of the time, which lead everyone to the conclusion I had nothing important to say. It was quite the contrary, but I knew that no one would listen to my anyway so why try?!

So now only my younger sister Kitty and I were left in our household together with our mother, who tried to marry us to every half decent gentleman that came along, and our father who was in his studies most of the time, ignoring everything that was going on in front of his door.

With a heavy sigh I stopped playing on the piano for the first time in two hours, I was surprised that mother hadn't rushed in already, telling me to stop hurting her poor nerves. Slowly I got up from my stool in front of the piano and walked over to the window. I could see my own reflection in it and made a face at myself. I wasn't happy about my looks, but there was no way in changing it, so why complain?!

My hair was dark brown, almost black and fell straight over my shoulders. Because I didn't like it, I always wore it in a tight bun. My eyes were not warm brown like Lizzie's they were black and dull. Because of my dark hair, my pale skin seemed even paler, at times people asked me, if I was ill, because I was so pale.

Then there was of course my figure, it was so unlike those of my sisters, because they were all petite and slender, sure I wasn't fat, I knew that, but still when I stood beside my sisters I felt like the ugly and fat sister no one would want to speak to.

I shook my head and turned angry from the window, not sure what to do with the rest of the day. I had no real friends, all other girls in town thought I was strange, because I talked not much and because I wasn't into pretty dresses and ribbons. But I saw no sense in fanning over something unimportant as this. There was so more to a person than her clothes or ribbons.

"Mary…" I winced when I heard the high pitched voice of my sister Kitty, she stormed into the room, her face flushed and she herself out of breath.

"What is it?" I asked, though I wasn't really sure, if I wanted to know.

"We've got a letter from Lizzie, she invited us all to Fitzwilliam's upcoming birthday and to stay the whole winter at Pemberley. That is just wonderful, so many good looking gentlemen will be there, this is my chance to find a husband too." Kitty grinned and I sighed, sure I was happy to see Lizzie again but I hated those festivities, force a smile on my lips and talk to people I would never want to talk to, if I had a choice.

"When are we leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning! Oh I have to go to the city and find some new ribbons, my old ones are just not good enough for Pemberley." With that she rushed out. I looked after her, sometimes I felt envy for Kitty, because it seemed like she never worried about more than dresses, ribbons and charming gentlemen. I guess that would be a really carefree life.

I decided only moments later to go up to my room and try to hide in my books again, I gathered my skirts and hurried out of my piano room, upstairs and into my room. Which I had to myself, after all of my sisters left, my mother decided that it was time for Kitty and me to get our own rooms.

I was grateful for that, because sharing a room with Kitty had been stressful. I closed the door behind myself and grabbed one of the books about English history from my desk and sat down on my bed. Soon I was lost in the world of historic persons and wars.

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That's it for now, hope you liked it, just hit the "review" button right below this and tell me.^^


	2. Pemberley

Hi guys, I am back for another chapter, it made me really happy to see that people liked the idea of another Mary centered story.

**can't think:** As I want Mary too look like she did in the movie, the whole story is based on the things that happened in it, not the book, alright?^^

**Avanell:** Wait and see, and as we know Kitty, not all that good ;D

Now on with the next chapter, enjoy, and don't forget to review, please!

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Late the next evening we finally reached Pemberley and not a moment too late, because if I had to spend one more moment with my mother and Kitty in one carriage I would go crazy.

"It is so noble!" Mother sighed, leaning out of the window, so wide that she almost fell out of it.

"I want to live in a place like this too!" Kitty demanded and smoothed her light yellow dress.

"Then you have to show your best behavior!" Mother answered, as there was really a chance for Kitty to marry a man as rich as Fitzwilliam Darcy. I doubted that, but I wouldn't say that out loud, it would only cause trouble and that was the least I wanted.

I sighed under my breath when the carriage stopped and a servant opened the door for us, so we could get out. But before I could even move, Kitty jumped out with a high screech, shortly followed by my mother. I couldn't help but roll my eyes, those two were really embarrassing and couldn't wait to go to my room and get a little rest.

I thanked the man who helped me out of the carriage and soon saw my sister and her husband in front of the huge entrance door.

My mother was already talking to them, I could hear her complimenting not only the place, but also Fitzwilliam himself. The look on his face made me want to laugh out loud, because it was obvious that he didn't like the behavior of our mother. I slowly walked closer and when Lizzie's eyes fell on me she smiled and walked over to me.

"Mary… it is good to see you!" She hugged me and then kissed my cheek. I smiled at her too because when she was around I felt more comfortable than with anyone else. Together we walked over to her husband and I curtsied.

"Thank you for inviting us, Pemberley is really beautiful." I said and when I looked into Fitzwilliam Darcy's face I saw his surprise. Shortly I wondered why he was surprised, because I wasn't like the rest of my family, or because I was so less pretty than my sisters? I cringed at that thought, I shouldn't think something like that. I was rather insecure and because of that I always thought that people thought horrible things about me, even if I knew that this probably wasn't the case.

"You must be exhausted. How about I show you to your rooms?" Lizzie offered and I smiled grateful at her, happy that I was able to get away from my mother and my sister, at least for a while.

As soon as we stepped into the entrance hall of Pemberley my mother once again began to compliment the beauty of the building. It was indeed wonderful, but when my mother talked about it, it sounded like she was trying to get a compliment back. A compliment for what? Our crap shack wasn't something that could be complimented easily, especially by a man such as Fitzwilliam Darcy. Once again I felt ashamed for my mother and especially Kitty who was screaming every time she saw something she liked. I felt a familiar headache forming in my temples and sighed deeply. It seemed that Mr. Darcy was as annoyed by the behavior of my family as was I, because I could see the scowl on his face. Though he tried his best to stay polite. Obviously Lizzie saw it, because she smiled a sweet smile and leaned closer to her husband, I couldn't hear what she whispered into his ear, but the scowl immediately vanished and was replaced by an amused look. He then stopped, which made me stop too.

"I am disconsolate but you have to excuse me, there is some serious business I have to attend to, my lovely wife just reminded me of. So I will see all of you at dinner." he bowed shortly and without another word he hurried off.

I couldn't help but smile, because it seemed that Mr. Darcy and I had more in common than I thought we would have. I wanted to do the same he just did, flee from the scene, which was rather hard to do, because this was my family after all.

"So Mary, this is your room, it is close to the library. I thought you might like that." Lizzie interrupted my thoughts only moments after we had continued our way through the long halls of Pemberley.

"Thank you Lizzie." I replied and hugged my sister, before entering my new room. I groaned silently once the door closed behind me. Thank god, I was alone after all and the room I was in was wonderful. Almost as big as the whole ground floor of our house Longbourn Manor in Hertfordshire.

In the middle of it was a huge bed with silk covers and pillows on it, to the left there was a big window made of glass, that had to cost a fortune and a door to the balcony in front of it. Grateful I saw the Piano Forte inside of my room, in the far corner, near a table. Happy I took off my cloak and scarf and hurried over to the Piano. It was beautiful and probably the most expensive piano I had ever laid eyes and hands on. With a shudder I raised my hands and touched the keys. It felt cool under my trembling fingers, but also wonderful and I couldn't keep myself from beginning to play. The sound of the Piano was amazing, I had never heard such clean and light notes before, our old Piano was used and sounded exactly like a Piano would, after ten years of every day use.

I stopped playing when my door opened, it seemed like I had bothered someone again by playing.

"Don't stop. You play wonderful, I would like to listen, I didn't mean to interrupt you." a feminine voice said and I heard the door close again, then light footsteps on the floor until a girl around the age of fifteen steeped beside me to the Piano.

"My name is Georgiana and you must be Mary. Lizzie kept talking about how wonderful you play and now that I have heard you I must say she is right."

So this was Mr. Darcy's little sister. She was a beauty, petite and slender, just like my sisters, but with big blue eyes and white blond hair. Though there was something about her, that most of my sisters didn't possess. Kindness and Innocence.

I immediately liked her, though I was quite sure that everyone just loved her, the moment their eyes fell on the blond and also kind beauty.

"Would you play something for me?" Georgiana asked and sat down beside me on the Piano bench.

"What would you like to hear Miss Georgiana?" I asked trying to be as polite as possible, after all she was Mr. Darcy's sister, it was better not to forget that. Though it was easy because she looked nothing like her brother.

"Anything! And please call me Georgiana, I hope we can be friends, because after Lizzie told me so much about you, it is like I already know you." Georgiana answered and smiled a brightly smile at me. I wasn't used to people being nice to me, or wanting to be my friend for that matter. But then again she was different than all those other ladies I had met before.

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That's it guys, so good? Bad? Tell me!


	3. Mr Darcy

Hello everyone, sorry for the delay in updating but I had my final exam at university and tons of job interviews, so I just didn't have the time to update. Sorry!

Thanks to all of you who reviewed and added it as their favorite, thank you.

So here comes the next chapter, have fun and please review!!!

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I thought a short moment about what to play and then it came to my mind. My favorite part of Beethoven.

I began to play and after just a few notes Georgiana clapped her hands and exclaimed:

"Oh the Piano Sonata No. 28! That is my favorite!"

"Mine too!" I answered and Georgiana looked pleased.

"Now I am sure that we will be very good friends."

"Why that?" I asked confused, her words making little sense to me.

"Because every person who has such wonderful taste in music and who can play the Piano Sonata No. 28 this well can just be a good person and also a good friend." It was unbelievingly how innocent and good natured Georgiana was, it seemed like she only believed the best of the people, even after what Wickham had done to her. Though I didn't quite understand it.

"Thank you." I replied, blushing a little.

"I am just telling the truth, you don't have to thank me." she smiled at me. I was still overwhelmed by her kindness how could a person be this nice, especially when growing up with Mr. Darcy?

"Oh, have you heard that my sister-in-law planned a big ball to celebrate my brothers birthday in one week, you are of course all invited." Georgiana said excited after a few moments of silence. I was still playing the Piano Sonata, but I knew it so well, that I could talk while playing it without making mistakes.

"No I haven't. It will be wonderful, I am sure."

"Yes and so many nice people will be there, a selected group of good friends and business partners of my brother."

I just nodded, because I didn't want to tell her that I didn't like all these balls, I was shy and didn't like to be watched by others, who came to the same conclusion I had come to years ago. That I was not even half as pretty as my sisters. I had come to except that fact, but I hated for others to look at me, because they didn't need to know it too.

"You really play wonderful. I could listen to you for forever." Georgiana sighed after a long moment of silence, which surprised me, because usually everyone around me was begging me to stop.

I couldn't keep myself from blushing, I really wasn't used to getting compliments.

"Oh… look at the time, it is already time for dinner. Do you want to accompany me downstairs?"

"Of course." I replied politely and got up from the piano bank.

What surprised me even more was that Georgiana took my hand and smiled at me, before leading me out of the room.

Two days later I walked towards the library, I had wanted to visit it days ago, but Georgiana had kept me busy, she had invited me to walk with her in the beautiful parks of Pemberley and play some more piano with her. She was an excellent player herself.

Now, after the breakfast was finished and my mother was outside together with Kitty, I had some time to breath and what better way was there to spend some time than reading.

I reached the door of the library and carefully pushed it open, my mouth dropped when I saw how huge the library was. I hadn't expected that, the walls were lined with shelves that reached the ceiling. I had the feeling I just stepped right into my very dream. I was so amazed by the books, that I didn't see the person sitting in an armchair at the window until he spoke:

"Good Morning." I winced, because I came face to face with Mr. Darcy.

"Oh, I didn't know that anyone was in here. Lizzy said I could come in here and read, but I will leave right away. I am sorry that I have bothered you." I hurried to say and turned around but his voice stopped me.

"Don't worry, you are welcome to stay and read. I usually retire to this room when I need some quiet, but from what Lizzy told me you like to read too and I think you know how to behave in a library such as this."

"Of course Mr. Darcy, thank you very much." I replied and curtsied shortly before I walked over to the nearest shelf looking at the books in it.

Mr. Darcy was silent too, I could just hear him turn the pages of his book from time to time. Before I knew what made me do it, I said:

"I wanted to apologize." Mr. Darcy looked up from his book obviously surprised, not sure what I was talking about.

"For the behavior of my mother and my sister. It is not easy to get along with them, even for me, and they are my family, so I can just try to imagine what it must be like for you." Now, for the first time, since I've known him, I could see a smile on his face. If this was the Darcy Lizzy saw all the time, then I could understand why she fell in love with him. He looked years younger and very likable.

"Don't worry about it, I am able to endure this behavior for a few weeks, it makes Lizzy happy that her family is here, so it is a low price for me to pay. Besides, she was right when she told me about you and that you are not like the rest of the family."

I blushed immediately, being complimented by someone as Mr. Darcy was important, so I just smiled shyly.

"Thank you." I mumbled and took a poem book from the shelf, with this I walked over to the window where another armchair stood. I took my seat in it and saw that Mr. Darcy had also returned to reading his book. I did the same and enjoyed it very much, because I had chosen a good book.

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That's it, until next time and don't forget to review!!!!


	4. The ball

Hey, everyone, I am back with the newest chapter.

Thanks to all of you wonderful pople wo reviewed or put this Story on their alert of even favorite list.

So keep it up and enjoy

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I sat in front of the mirror and allowed Georgiana to do my hair, she had begged me to do so and who was I to deny her anything? When she looked at me with those big blue eyes, I just couldn't say no. Now she was pinning my hair up, only a few curls framed my face. I was also wearing the dress she had picked out of those I brought with me. It was one of my least favorites, because for my taste it was overemphasizing my figure, which wasn't as slim as those of my sister's or Georgiana's.

"I wished I had some more curves, like you." Georgiana sighed and looked down at me, which confused me, because she looked absolutely perfect, how could she think she wasn't?

"There is no need for that. You are beautiful!" I reassured her and she blushed a little.

"You are too, even if you don't seem to think that." I was surprised by her words, she thought I was beautiful, no one had ever told me that I was good looking. They all said I was plain, even my mother. So I didn't take her words seriously, I thought she was just saying this to be polite. That would be like her, being polite even if it meant lying to me. But she would never tell me how plain I looked, her character wouldn't allow that.

So I stayed silent until Georgiana sighed contently and said:

"All done. You look wonderful." I smiled grateful at her and got up from my chair.

"Let's go downstairs then." Georgiana smiled and I shook my head.

"You go ahead, I have to get something from my room, before I join you."

"Alright, but you have to come down I put so much work in your hair."

"Don't worry, I will be there!" I promised and left Georgiana's room. I took my favorite book, Othello, from my room and went downstairs. I was sure that this ball would be like all those before, I would sit somewhere in the corner and read until my family finished making a fool out of themselves and were ready to go home. Sure Lizzy was never one of those, but my mother and also Kitty made up for it.

I heard soft music coming from the ballroom and I had to go inside, at least for a moment, so I kept the promise I gave to Georgiana.

My eyes scanned the room for the blond head of my friend, because after spending almost one week with her, she was my friend. She was really kind and smart, which I hadn't expected. But I found that talking with her was really easy and that I liked to get to know her opinion on things.

I finally found her standing with her brother and Lizzy. Quickly I made my way over to them and hid my book behind my back.

"Mary… you look beautiful." Lizzy welcomed me with a smile, which she probably just did because Georgiana had told her so.

"Thank you. The ball is very nice." I said to her then turned to Mr. Darcy it was the first time that I saw him today, so I curtsied to him and said:

"Happy Birthday, Mr. Darcy." He smiled a little, which he did quite regularly since our encounter in the library.

"Thank you very much Mary. I hope you enjoy the ball."

I nodded and curtsied once again before disappearing from their view in the crowd. I crossed the room and found a deserted salon where I sat down in an armchair at the fireplace. Enough candles were lit so that I could read my book.

I opened it and soon the ball was forgotten, I found myself lost in the world of love and betrayal of Desdemona and Othello.

I didn't know how long I sat in that chair at the fire, when I heard footsteps followed by a voice.

"Oh, I am sorry. I didn't know someone was in here." I looked up at the most handsome Gentleman I had ever seen. He was really tall, with broad shoulders, dressed in noble clothes. His blond hair was cut rather short but it was brushed into his face, so that it partly covered his forehead. He had the most intense blue eyes I had ever seen, in a masculine face, with a straight nose, high cheekbones and an expressive jaw.

I blushed and looked back down to the book in my hand.

I shortly thought about saying that I was no one, but instead I answered:

"No need to apologize. I just wanted some peace and quite. I can leave if you want."

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That's it for now, if you want to read more, you know what to do, press the review button and tell me what you think :D


	5. Mr Howard

Wow, Thanks for all the reviews, I didn't expect so much Feedback, so Thanks to all of you wo reviewed, keep it up :D

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"No need to apologize. I just wanted some peace and quite. I can leave if you want."

"That would be very impolite of me. Forcing a young Lady to leave the room even though she was in said room long before me." he smiled at me and came closer, which surprised me, because he was still looking at me. Usually people lost interest after a few short moments. Maybe the light was far more faint than I had thought.

"What are you reading?" he asked interested and sat down across from me, crossing his long legs. I was at a loss for words, because of that I just raised the book, so he could read the title.

"Ah… a very good choice! Though I myself like Hamlet far better."

"You have read Hamlet?" I couldn't keep myself from asking, men who looked like him were usually like Wickham, not very smart or interested in books, they relied on their looks and nothing else.

"As a matter of fact, I have read all of his plays." he explained and that surprised me even more, though the smile he gave me made my heart flutter. That was weird, something like that had never happened before, probably because no man had taken his time to talk to me before, or at least not more than a few sentences.

"Shakespeare is one of my favorite authors." I said unsure if he wanted to continue this conversation, though I was desperately hoping he wanted, because I enjoyed this conversation, or more his attention, very much.

"So I take you read a lot."

"Yes I do. Whenever my time allows it." I answered honestly, that made him smile again, his eyes never leaving my face, as if he was looking at something he really liked, which was of course an absolute ridiculous thing to think. But it was what I wanted most in life, someone who loved me for who I was. Someone who loved me unconditionally despite of all my faults and someone I could love with all my heart. But I was realistic enough not to think that this handsome man could be the person I was dreaming about. He was a man who could have every woman, so why should he settle for someone like me?

"And how do you know Mr. Darcy?" he asked me and I sighed, when I told him the truth, he would run as fast as he could, because judging by his looks, my mother and also Kitty had been all over him as soon as their eyes fell on him.

"I am here with my mother and my younger sister to visit my older sister Elisabeth. She is Mr. Darcy's wife."

I could see the realization in his blue eyes but instead of excusing himself, a smirk appeared on his lips.

"I have met her and also your mother and your younger sister… they were… quite interesting." I looked at him for a long moment, but then I couldn't take it anymore I started laughing, which obviously amused AND confused him.

"What is so entertaining about my words?"

"Quite interesting is the nicest description I have ever heard for my family." I answered, gasping for air, I hadn't laughed that much in ages.

Now he smiled again and like the last time my heart stopped for a short moment before it started to beat faster in my chest.

"I just didn't want to offend you."

"That is very nice of you, but you should consider, as they are my family I know them better than anyone else."

"You are right! I should have considered that. But then I don't have to explain their behavior in the ball room, you probably know it already."

I nodded at his words, of course I knew how they would behave, like they always did, embarrassing themselves and the rest of the family.

"Then you maybe understand why I decided to stay as far away from them as possible." I said honestly and he nodded, then as if he just remembered his manners, he got up from his chair and bowed before me:

"It is a pleasure to meet you Miss Bennet. My name is Henry Charles Howard." As courtesy demanded I rose too and curtsied in front of him.

"The pleasure is all mine Mr. Howard."

"Can I be honest with you?" he asked and made a step forward, so there were only inches between us. My heart did not only flutter this time, it was racing and my knees felt like they would give in under me any minute now.

"Of course…" I answered, not sure what to expect.

"I really enjoyed our conversation. I would like to see you again. How long are you staying with the Darcy's?" His words took me by surprise. He wanted to see me again? Why? I had no answer to that but I had the feeling that there was some hidden motive he didn't tell me about.

"We are staying over the winter, then we will return to Hertfordshire." Again, this amazing smile appeared on his face, before he said:

"Very well then, would it be alright with you, if I visit you tomorrow at noon, we could walk through the parks of Pemberley."

I was still too much in shock, to say anything at all, so I just nodded.

"Then I will see you tomorrow and retire for today. Have a good night." He bowed again, then he left the salon. I stayed behind utterly confused. What was this man up to? I didn't believe his intentions at all, he couldn't be really interested in me, that didn't make sense, I was neither pretty nor rich, so he had no reason to spend more time with me.

I closed my book carefully and decided that it was also for me time to retire to my room, I was interested if he would really show up the next day. Maybe he and some friends were just making fun of me by trying to make me believe he was interested in me though he was not and it was all a game.

This had already happened to me once. The boys in Hertfordshire thought it was so funny, I had been fourteen then, it had happened three years ago and since then I always questioned the motives of men. Because as those boys told me, I was ugly and boring and poor, who would want to spend time with me anyway. I felt tears in my eyes remembering the horrible days three years ago. But I wouldn't cry. I would not give them the satisfaction of making me cry even after all these years.

Quickly I made my way upstairs and to my room, standing in front of my room, I took a deep breath and walked inside. Exhausted and confused I shrugged off my dress and opened my hair, it now fell loosely over my shoulders almost down to my waist. I pulled a plain cotton nightgown over my head and crawled into my bed. Even though I was tired, it took some time for me to fall asleep.

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That's it for now, I hope you all liked it and don't forget to review, please ^^


	6. The Earl of Suffolk

Hi everyone, thanks again to all my faithful readers, you are just awesome, I love you! :D

I hope you enjoy the next chapter, if you do, press the button below, telling me what you think, if you don't it is even more important for you to press it, to tell me what you didn't like!

Enough of the small talk, here comes the next chapter!

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The next day had come quickly and after breakfast I had gone back to my room, to play some piano. After a night of thinking about everything that had happened the evening before, I came to the conclusion that Mr. Howard wouldn't show up and I told myself over and over again, that I didn't care. Sure that wasn't true, but I tried to convince myself by thinking it as often as possible.

I just started to play the Moonlight Sonata, when I heard a knock on the door.

"Yes?" I answered and Lizzy walked into the room. She looked confused, which confused me, so I asked:

"What is it?"

"The Earl of Suffolk is here asking for you…." Now I was just as confused as my sister.

"The Earl of Suffolk?"

"Yes… how do you know him?"

"I don't!" I answered truthfully, what could he want from me?

"He said you were awaiting him." Right then I realized that we were talking about Mr. Howard. He was an Earl? That couldn't be? Now it made even less sense that he wanted to spend time with me. Just thinking of who I was and of who he was. This was improper.

But it would be very impolite to just let him stand there, so I got up and said:

"I will go downstairs to greet him. Where do I find him?"

"He is in the Salon at the bottom of the staircase in the north." Lizzy replied and I immediately knew which salon she was talking about, because it was one of my favorites, a piano was also inside and I loved to play on it while watching the grounds of Pemberley through the window.

I quickly left the room and giggled a little when I realized that Lizzy wasn't following me, she was still too confused to comprehend the whole situation, but I was too. His title just confused me more and I couldn't understand why he would want to spend time with me. But now was the chance to ask him.

I reached the Salon and unconsciously I ran my fingers through my hair that I had pulled once again into the tight bun in my neck. When I realized what I did, I clasped my hands together to keep them from smoothing my hair or my dress.

When I stepped into the room I came face to face with the man who was an Earl, which I hadn't expected.

When his eyes fell on me, he smiled, again… this smile that made my knees go weak.

"Good Morning Miss Benett, I hope you rested well." he greeted me and walked towards me.

"Good Morning, yes I did, thank you." I replied, still unsure why he was really here and why he didn't tell me that he was the Earl of Suffolk.

"The weather is wonderful, so how about we continue our chat outside?" I nodded and when he offered his arm to me I took it, still not quite sure what to make of him.

We walked out of the front door and down the closest path towards the park.

For a moment we were both silent, though from time to time, I could feel his eyes on me, which made me feel uneasy. So when I couldn't take it anymore I found the courage to ask:

"What are you doing here?" That seemed to surprise him, because he looked down at me, which he had to do, because he was at least a head taller than me. The confusion was obvious in his blue eyes.

"I told you I would visit you today." he answered matter-of-factly.

"But why? I mean you are the Earl of Suffolk and I am no one."

"So you found out?" he asked, looking a little sheepish.

"Of course I did, after all my sister knows who you are." I explained to him and he nodded.

"I forgot about that. But to your question. I told you yesterday, that I enjoyed our conversation isn't that alone reason enough for me to be here? Oh and trust me, you are not no one."

I couldn't help but blush because his gaze was so intense that it made my insides squirm.

"But it is improper for you to even speak with someone of my social standing." I answered when we reached the first trees of the parks of Pemberley.

He seemed amused by my words, because he chuckled before answering:

"I never cared what's respectable and what's not, fortunately my mother is a distant relative of King George III and she is very dear to him. That gives me more freedom than others." His words surprised me, but I could somehow understand that, who would be brave enough to say something negative about his behavior, when his mother was close to the king? Probably no one, was the answer to that.

"You see, there is no reason for you to worry." I nodded, not quite sure what to reply and sometimes it was best to just be quiet. Even though my mother would never understand that.

"This park is really beautiful." I said after a moment to change the subject. It was pretty obvious but Mr. Howard just nodded before answering:

"You are indeed right, but you should see the gardens of Charlton Park, in my opinion they are far more beautiful than these!"

"Really?" I asked, I couldn't imagine a place more beautiful and perfect than Pemberley.

"Yes, you should visit the estate when you happen to be in Wiltshire."

"I would love that." I replied honestly.

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That's it! Well, at least for now, I hope you liked it and don't forget to review! :D


	7. The winter

Hello everyone, you guys are really amazing, all those reviews are just plain awesome, you are awesome and keep reviewing so that my weekend will be awesome too :D

Oh and thanks to all of you who pointed out that I had the wrong queen/king for the P&P time, I already changed it!

That enough awesome, have fun with the next chapter!

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And so the winter at Pemberley went by, Mr. Howard, though he encouraged me to call him Henry, which I never did, visited the estate or better me at least once a week. I found out a lot about him and his mother and with each conversation I liked him more. In those short months he became a very dear friend to me. Though there was still this tingle I couldn't quite explain when he came near me, or when he touched me.

My mother and also Kitty knew nothing about his visits, I made Lizzy promise not to tell them. She of course understood why I wanted that. As soon as my mother heard of the fact that he visited me on a regular basis she would try to make him propose to me. And while trying that she would embarrass not only herself but also me and the whole family.

To be honest, sometimes I thought about that too, about how amazing it would be to be his wife. But I wasn't this naïve. Even though he could allow himself to act more freely than others because of his relations to the Queen he would never humiliate his family like this by proposing to a low class woman like me. Besides that I wasn't as pretty as Lizzy or Jane, which would make up for my heritage. So I just enjoyed his company and our conversations, he was the very first person who listened to all I had to say, he would always ask for my opinion about things. He really was a very intelligent and kind man, at times I wondered what he liked about me.

But after all those months I didn't doubt his motives anymore, it just confused me and I was very grateful for his friendship.

A knock on my door brought me back to reality, only three more days until we would return to Hertfordshire. I would really miss Pemberley and also my new friend Georgiana. We had played the Piano together for hours and hours, while talking about everything that came to our minds. She even told me about what Mr. Wickham had done to her and how he had used her.

I couldn't believe my ears when she first told me about it. I hated him even more now, how could he do something this awful to a wonderful person like Georgiana? She only deserved the best, I could understand why Mr. Darcy didn't want to talk about him at all.

"Mary can I talk to you?" Lizzy asked and closed the door behind herself.

"Of course." I replied and rose from the Piano bench. She looked serious which worried me. Was everything alright?

"There is something important I want to tell you. I already send a message to Jane and Fitzwilliam of course knows, but I want to share it with someone and I can imagine Mothers reaction and that isn't what I want."

"What is it? Are you alright?" I asked worried which made her smile, she sat down on my bed and I followed her example.

"Yes, it couldn't be better. You know that I am married to Fitzwilliam for almost a year now."

"Yes…" I answered slowly, not sure what she was about to say, or what to expect for that matter.

"I am expecting our first child."

"Oh my god, really?" I gasped and when a huge grin appeared on her face I knew she wasn't joking.

"That is so wonderful." I smiled and hugged her, happy for my favorite sister.

"I know, we are both very excited."

"Of course you are, when is it going to be born?"

"The doctor, Fitzwilliam called, said it will be someday in the early summer." Lizzy answered, it was obvious how much she was looking forward to that day.

"I am so happy for you." I replied and hugged Lizzy again.

"But you have to tell Mother sooner or later." I continued when I let go of her.

"I know and I will but I will wait until you have returned to Hertfordshire. I will send her a letter and I hope you won't tell her."

"Of course not." I smiled, though I didn't want to go back to Hertfordshire, the time at Pemberley had been the best of my life. I had found new friends who were very dear to me and I had experienced a freedom I had never felt before. My mother and Kitty were busy the whole day, they had no time to correct me or drive me insane, but then again Pemberley was big enough to hide very well.

"Thank you." I shook my head, there was no need for her to thank me, I was the one who had to thank her, because she had given me a chance on finding friends and just enjoying myself.

"What is the matter with you today? You seem deep in thoughts." Mr. Howard asked, when I was rather silently walking by his side through the parks of Pemberley. It was very cold and even though I wore a thick cloak, a scarf and gloves I was still freezing a little.

"There is just a lot on my mind at the moment."

"Tell me about it." he said and looked down at me, I smiled looking into his clear blue eyes I came to love over the past weeks and months.

"My family and I will return to Hertfordshire tomorrow…" Now he looked almost sad.

"I forgot about that." he admitted and looked a little sheepish which made me smile.

"I didn't and it is just that I am going to miss everything I had here."

"That is understandable…" he mumbled, after knowing him for quite a long time, I knew that he was thinking about something, something important, though I couldn't say what.

"Now you are the one deep in thoughts." I smiled and his eyes refocused, which told me that he was back with me.

"Yes… there is something I've been thinking about for months, something I meant to ask you, I guess now is the time because …." but he couldn't continue because I heard the high screeched voice of my mother.

"Mary? Mary, where are you?"

"It would be better for you to go now, or my mother will never let you go again." I smiled at him, then I realized that I would maybe never see him again.

"Thank you for this wonderful winter, I will never forget it." Before he had time to answer, I gathered my skirts and hurried towards the voice of my mother, ignoring the pain I felt in my chest. The thought of never seeing Henry again, never talking to him again, made me want to cry.

"There you are! Come on hurry, we will return to Hertfordshire immediately."

"But why?" I asked confused.

"I received a note from your father it is very important, so hurry." I nodded and looked one last time over my shoulder, but Henry could nowhere be seen. I sighed then and followed my mother, it seemed like my dream was over now.

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Alright that's it, I hope you liked it and don't forget to review…. PLEASE :D


	8. Every Day

Hi everyone, another weekend and I am back again :D

Thanks to all of my wonderful reviewers and readers, I love you all.

Avanell: To your questions, well maybe he was going to ask her, but maybe not :D We'll never know and yes she left, you'll see in the next chapter if Henry follows her

caryfairy: Well, he didn't really agree did he? Mary was gone before he could actually do something… and about the hordes of girls, who says there aren't this is Mary's POV and she doesn't know about that kind of things, as she just not interested in it :D

mysweetkat: I thought so too, so I just had to write a Mary story, as there are not enough out there

kggirl: Well, you'll have to wait and find out, maybe he is a heartbreaker, but then again, maybe he is serious … who knows… except for Henry :D

Alright, now enough of the boring A/N and on with the story and don't forget to review

* * *

One week later I sat in our small salon in Hertfordshire and played the piano. Every time I did it I thought of my friend Georgiana, god how I missed her, she had been my first and closest female friend. In those months we spent together, I talked with her about almost everything, she always listened to my fears and worries and I to hers. I had felt wanted for the first time in my life.

With a sigh I stopped playing the piano and got up from the bench. Slowly I walked over to the window and looked over the grounds. The snow had finally fully melted and soon the first green would appear, which announced that spring was near.

Usually I liked this time of the year, when everything seemed to wake from it's slumber, but this year I couldn't find my enthusiasm about it. Probably because I was more unhappy with my life than I had been before. Those weeks at Pemberley had shown me how life could be and in comparison my life now was nothing.

I sighed deeply when I heard quick footsteps and shortly after that my mother, followed by Kitty hurried into the room.

They both looked very excited which made me feel uneasy, because I usually didn't like what they did.

"Mary, we are going to town. We need new ribbons." I had to suppress a groan, because new ribbons meant another ball.

"What does that have to do with me?" I asked hoping they would let me stay at home while they went to shop for some new ribbons.

"You have to come too silly, after all you could use some new ribbons too. After Mary and Lizzy leaving the house you are the oldest now, so it is time for you to find a husband. I am not going to live forever and neither will your father, so you have to find a man that will take care of you when we are no longer." I knew this speech by heart, because since Lizzy had gotten married I heard it at least twice a week.

Sure I wanted to get married, but before that I had to find the right man. Thinking of that an image of Henry's smiling face flashed before my eyes. I shook my head to get rid of this picture because there would never be anything more between us than there had been during the months at Pemberley. He hadn't written a letter since then and I hadn't really expected him to, though I couldn't help to be a little disappointed.

"I will just get my cloak." I finally answered, knowing it was of no use to argue with her.

I quickly left the salon and grabbed my cloak from the nearby coat hook, I put it on while my mother and Kitty walked past me out of the house. They were chatting happily about the upcoming dance and that hopefully a lot of good looking AND rich Gentlemen would be there.

I followed them with a little distance, hoping they wouldn't try to involve me in their conversation. But then again they had never before, so they probably wouldn't start now.

We walked the small distance to the city where the stores were located, a lot of people were on the streets as well, all of them happily chatting with someone. Again I felt completely out of place, god I missed Pemberley.

"Mary look, these green ribbons will really bring out your eyes and maybe distract a little from… well how plain you are." And again I felt like I was nothing, my mother was very good with making me feel that way just with a few words.

"They look very pretty." I replied and tried to hide the hurt tone in my voice, but she probably wasn't even listening to me. As if to confirm my assumption my mother continued:

"Or maybe better the blue ones, they do not attract as much attention, don't want to have too much attention on you." the last part she mumbled more for herself, of that I was sure, she probably didn't even realize that she had said it out loud.

"No, we really don't want that." I muttered under my breath and turned around, all I wanted to do was to go home again and I thought that my mother wouldn't even notice my absence.

So quietly I left the shop and took a deep breath standing in front of it, then I turned and walked back to our house and as I had thought my mother didn't even realize that I had left the store.

We were on our way to one of the finest houses in all of Hertfordshire. It had been bought by a wealthy family some time ago. But until now they hadn't been present.

To my mother's immense dissatisfaction, this family didn't have sons, they only had one daughter a little older than me.

Our small carriage stopped in front of the huge mansion and we climbed out of it. I suppressed a heavy sigh, because my mother had seen me try to sneak a book out of our house. She had forced me to leave it behind and now there was nothing for me to do at this ball.

We walked into the huge entrance hall, it was lit with hundreds of candles and it looked wonderful. This really was a beautiful mansion.

Soon we stood in front of the hosts and my father introduced us:

"This is my wife and two of my daughters. Mary and Kitty." We curtsied and I couldn't help but stare at the daughter of the host. She must have been the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Even Jane seemed plain in comparison to her.

She was tall and slender, but still with soft curves in all the right places. Her skin was snow white and flawless. She had bright blue eyes and honey colored hair that was skillfully pinned to the back of her head.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, these are my wife Eleanor and our daughter Camille." the man introduced them. They shortly curtsied and I was amazed by how graceful Camille was.

Obviously my mother had seen it too, because shortly after we entered the ballroom and our hosts was out of our sight, she huffed:

"Oh dear, have you seen them, they are so over the top. And they behave like they are better than everybody else."

Well they were, I couldn't help but think while separating from my family. I wasn't keen on spending the whole evening in their presence. So I went to search for a comfortable chair and there I would just wait until the whole festivity was over.

Fortunately it didn't take long until I found a deserted corner with a few chairs, so I sat down on one and looked at the crowd. They were all dancing happily and somehow I envied them, or more their ability to enjoy such festivities.

With a sigh I looked at the ceiling and hoped that the ball would be over soon.

As the evening progressed, more and more people gathered around the corner where I sat. They talked and laughed without even glancing my way.

"Excuse me, do you mind if I sit here?" a male voice interrupted my thoughts and I looked up at a middle aged man.

"No, of course not." I replied politely and he sat down next to me, smiling all the time. I wasn't quite sure why he did it until he started to speak again, his brown eyes fixed on my face:

"I've been watching you throughout the night."

That shocked me, why should he do that?

He obviously saw my question, because his smile became wider before he continued:

"You are so different than all the other ladies."

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That's it, another love interest for Mary? Who knows, if you want to know, stay tuned.

Oh and please review :D


	9. Hurt

Hi everyone, thanks for all your wonderful reviews, I am really happy that you like this story, because I do too.

Now without much talk, I present to you….. the next chapter, I hope you all like it and don't forget to review, okay? :D

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I wasn't quite sure if that was a compliment or an insult, but he was still smiling and I thought that usually people weren't smiling when they insulted someone.

So he was trying to compliment me?

"To what extend?" I asked carefully.

"Your simplicity sets you apart from them." he replied and that was what I had expected. He liked the fact that I was plain, he probably thought that my mind was just like my looks. Well as much as I couldn't find anything good about my looks, I liked what was inside of my head. I liked to think that I was pretty smart, without sounding conceited, I thought that I was smarter than a lot of people I had met.

"Well… thank you." I replied, what was I supposed to say to that anyway?

"You are welcome. You are the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet right?"

"One of them."

"Oh yes, I have heard that they have quite a bunch." he laughed about his own joke, which wasn't funny at all, that's why I didn't laugh. I just smiled politely.

"I believe I heard that three of your sisters are already married."

"That is correct, my older sisters Jane and Elisabeth and also my younger sister Lydia."

"Isn't it unpleasant for you that your younger sister is already married, while you are not?"

Of course it was and especially because my mother bothered me even more than before.

"A little." I replied, not quite sure why he spoke about this topic, but I couldn't think more about it, because Camille and a few of her friends sat down, not far away from me. They spoke loud enough for me to hear what they were talking about.

"So when is your marriage Camille?" one of the other ladies asked.

"We haven't decided yet, but I will demand that the marriage takes place very soon." Camille answered and her friends sighed.

"Oh I cannot believe it, you will be a Countess then." one of her friends smiled and that wasn't surprising me at all, she was beautiful and came from a rich family. Every Earl would be pleased to have her as his wife.

"Yes, but not any Countess, you know that his mother is close to the king, we will spend most of our time at the court and close to his majesty. Isn't that fabulous?" I furrowed my brows, because that seemed so familiar to me, but I couldn't quite name it.

"By the way… my name is James Henceforth." the man besides me introduced himself and that brought my attention back to him.

"It is nice to meet you." I answered and he smiled.

"The pleasure is all mine Miss Bennet and if you allow me to say so…." but his words faded into the background again when I heard Camille say a name I knew very well.

"Henry Charles Howard"

I gasped, because that was why it seemed so familiar to me what she had said before. His mother was close to the king. He had told me so himself.

Camille would marry Henry!

I always knew that he would marry someone and it wasn't surprising that his bride was as perfect as Camille. He only deserved the best, but it still hurt me. I had the feeling I couldn't breathe. I needed to leave, immediately.

"I'm not feeling well, excuse me." I whispered to Mr. Henceforth and hurried out of the ballroom and down the steps into the entrance hall. The servant at the door opened it for me, though he looked a little puzzled because of my expression.

As soon as I stepped out of the building I could feel hot tears on my cheeks, I wasn't sure why I was crying, because I always knew that there was NO chance for us. But still, it hurt like nothing I had felt before.

At that moment, I didn't care what my mother would say afterwards, I needed to go home. I wanted to climb into my bed and pull the covers over me so that I could forget the world around me.

With tears still streaming down my face, I started to walk home. All the while seeing Henry's face and right next to him Camille. They were absolutely perfect for each other. Both rich, both from respected families and both incredibly good looking.

I was glad when I finally reached our house, quickly I made my way inside and up to my room. Without thinking more about it, I pulled off my dress and hid in my bed. Hopefully this day would be over very soon.

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That's it for now, poor Mary… but don't worry, this will have a happy ending, but maybe not the one you have been expecting :D PLEASE REVIEW :D


	10. Happily ever after?

Hi everyone, I'm back.

Had relaxing vacation and now Mary and I are back with the newest chapter!

I hope you all enjoy it and don't forget to review, alright? :D

* * *

I was woken the next morning by a knock on my door, that made me realize that I had fallen asleep over my crying the night before.

"Yes…" I answered my voice hoarse, probably from all that crying just a few hours ago. My mother stepped inside and looked disapprovingly, like she did almost all the time when I was close.

"So why have you gone home so early?" she asked and walked closer to my bed.

"I wasn't feeling well." I answered and that was truth, after all, hearing about Henry's engagement with Camille had made me sick to my stomach.

"Why haven't you said anything? Father could have brought you home." That surprised me, usually my mother wasn't this understanding. The night before must have been very good in her eyes when she was like this now.

"I didn't know where you were and I just wanted to go home."

"Alright, but next time tell us."

"I will." I promised and she left the room, this was still very confusing for me, but then again I was too tired to think more about this. All I wanted to do now, was sleep a little more.

Closing my eyes, I fell pack into the pillows and only moments later I was asleep again.

Three days later I sat in our salon playing the piano when my mother hurried in, she had been in an exceptionally good mood since the ball. I wasn't quite sure what to make of her good mood, I had the feeling that it was just a warning for something awful that would happen very soon.

"Mary. You have a guest."

Confused I raised from my stool and asked:

"Who is it?"

"Mr. Henceforth of course." Of course? I didn't quite understand her words, but it would be very impolite to let him stand in the living room all by himself. So I walked past my mother into said room and Mr. Henceforth was really waiting in there. He smiled at me, as soon as I entered.

"Good Morning Miss Bennet, how are you on this fine day?"

"Very good, thank you. How are you Mr. Henceforth?"

"That is in your hands." he replied and I was utterly confused, what did he mean with that?

"I don't understand." I said and he nodded.

"Of course not, my dear. I am here to ask you for your hand in marriage." My eyes became huge, he wanted to marry me? We just talked for an hour, how could he know that I was the one he wanted?

"Why?" I asked and obviously he hadn't been expecting this question, because he looked confused at first, but then he started to talk.

"Well, as I said at the ball, you are different than the other ladies and after my wife died months ago, I need a woman who takes care of my household and my two sons instead of taking care of her appearance."

So that was why he was interested in me. He didn't like me, he just thought that I would be responsible enough to replace his dead wife. Did he have any idea how insulting this explanation was? He didn't want me for who I was, he wanted nothing but an obedient servant and someone who would warm his bed.

God, I felt disgusted to my very soul. Besides the fact that he was at least twenty years older than me, I really didn't like him.

Immediately I thought of the good mood of my mother and asked:

"Have you talked with my mother about this?"

"Yes, of course and she was very pleased with my decision."

"Would it be possible that I talk with her for a moment before giving you your answer?"

"Indeed, it is only wise to make such important decisions with the help of those who are close to us."

I just nodded, while quickly leaving the room. As expected my mother was waiting in front of it.

"What are you doing? Go back in and tell him you accept." she hissed, as soon as the doors closed behind me.

"But, he is old and I don't know, I don't like him." I reasoned.

"Mary. He earns almost 2000 per year, this is a very generous offer, you will never get an offer like this again." I bit my bottom lip, sure this was a good offer, but there was still the wish in the back of my head, that I married someone I loved, like Lizzie.

My mother saw how unsure I was and obviously decided to be brutally honest with me.

"Mary, listen. You know that I love you, like all my daughters, but let's be honest. You are not very pretty, you don't get along well with other people, you are not very graceful and you spend way too much time with your books and your piano, you cannot hope to find a man like Mr. Darcy or even Mr. Bingley."

I felt tears in my eyes, sure she was right, everything she had said was, there was no one else who wanted to marry me. I was eighteen years old and this was my first proposal. Jane and Lizzy had gotten a lot over the years, sure from families of which my mother thought were below us, so they had turned every proposal down, but still...

Maybe this was my only chance of getting married and making sure I wouldn't be unsheltered after the death of my father. Maybe this was what was meant for me. I wiped a tear from my face and nodded slowly.

"You are right." I whispered and with a heavy heart I walked back into the living room. Mr. Henceforth was still waiting for me. I forced a smile to my lips and said:

"I would be honored to accept your proposal."

He nodded, obviously pleased with my decision.

"Very well then, I will return to my house in Bedfordshire, there I will prepare everything for our wedding and after that is settled I will return to take you to your new home." he said and walked closer to me. I had to suppress the urge to back away, he would be my husband soon and I couldn't avoid him then, so I had to get used to him.

"Take care!" he smiled and kissed my forehead. Then he left the room, shortly after that my mother rushed into the room, a huge smile on her face.

"Oh my god, you will be married soon. Only one daughter then all of my daughters are married. I have to go and tell everyone that you are getting married."

I nodded, feeling slightly numb, this felt like a strange dream to me and somehow I just wanted to wake up.

But I knew that this was reality and my life would drastically change within the next few weeks.

Exhausted I sat down in a nearby chair and held my head in my hands.

How long I sat there like this I didn't know, but when I heard heavy footsteps I looked up. My father walked into the room, he even closed the door behind himself. He had his hands clasped behind his back and looked very serious.

"Mary, I know that I am not always there for you and that maybe you feel like you have to go because you are not welcome here. But you are. You deserve to be lucky, just like your sisters. You are a smart girl and you can find someone better, someone who wants YOU. Don't you think that this decision is wrong?"

Once again I felt tears in my eyes, I never knew that he really cared about me, but obviously he did, he wanted me to be happy. That made me smile at him through my tears.

"Thank you. Your words mean so much to me but I am smart enough to know that this is the best offer I will ever get! I am not like my sisters, as mother said it, I am plain, it doesn't get any better than Mr. Henceforth for me."

"But I want you to be happy Mary."

"I think that I will be, I just need some time to get used to him."

"But you shouldn't. Remember how your sisters were shortly before they got married. They were happy and anxious and couldn't wait to start a new life with their husbands. I want you to feel the same way for your husband."

"Not everyone can take the liberty of waiting for their happily ever after, father." I replied and got up from my chair. Without giving him more time to say something to me I left the room and hurried to mine. I just wanted to be alone.

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Oh… Shock… Mary is getting married! Stay tuned to find out how that turns out

Until then, Take Care


	11. Visitors

Hi guys, thanks for all your wonderful feedback, I am more than happy that you like my Mary story. As I quite like it myself :D

riverslost: Hihi, thanks. Here is the next chapter and I will add the next one right after it, because both are really short and my muse did a great job, the last couple of days. The next chapter will answer your question :D

kggirl21: OMG! REALLY? One of your favourites? *blushes* there are so many good stories out there. I feel honored, thank you very much

Avanell: Somewhat surprising? :D Oh and just for your information, Camille wasn't lying, nor expecting too much!

Now on with the newest chapter and I will add the next one right after, because they are both really short. I would be happy if you take the time to R&R both :D

Have fun

One week later everybody had heard of my upcoming marriage and they were either surprised or feeling sorry for me. Everybody knew that my soon to be husband was a lot older than I was, but that wasn't uncommon in England, but in Hertfordshire women usually married men more close to their age.

I sat in my room at the window, I had done that for the last few days, because I wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone.

I just wanted to be left alone, even more than before. By now I was hoping that the marriage would take place very soon, so that I could stop being afraid of what was to come. I hated the unknown and my marriage was exactly that, I didn't know what to expect from my husband, or his sons or everyone else in his household and that was scaring me.

I turned my head when I heard a knock on my door, only moments later Lizzie walked into the room. That confused me, what was she doing here?

"Lizzie, what are you doing here?" I asked and she rushed over to my spot at the window, as fast as her growing belly allowed it.

"Father paid me a surprise visit and told me everything about this Mr. Henceforth." I sighed, another one who tried to change my mind. This was hard enough without everyone trying to make me revoke my decision.

"Not you too…" I sighed but Lizzie sat down in front of me and took my hands.

"You will listen to me Mary." she said, her voice stern and I knew her good enough to know that there was no way I could escape this conversation.

"You deserve so much better than him, why can't you wait?"

"Wait for what? There is nothing or no one to wait for!" I replied but Lizzie shook her head.

"What about Mr. Howard…?" I felt a piercing pain in my chest, just thinking of him was more painful than everything I had ever felt before.

"What about him? He is an Earl, he isn't interested in me and he is engaged." That seemed to surprise Lizzie.

"He is?"

"Yes, I met his fiancé on the ball last week."

"So that's what this is about? He is engaged so you decided you need to do this too?"

"No. This is about me. I cannot afford to be like you and wait for the right one. I would love to, but I can't."

"Why not?" Lizzie asked, close to tears now.

"Don't make me say it out loud…" I whispered, my mother had said it often enough and I had thought it, but I had never been completely open, telling anyone what was in my head.

"Say it…" Lizzie demanded and took hold of my hands.

"I am plain and that is the nicest word to describe me, I am not very good with people. I like to be alone, I read too much and play too much piano. People think I am small minded and who knows maybe they are right. I am not good enough to wait for someone else. Maybe there will never be someone." I explained and felt tears running down my cheeks.

"Oh Mary, that is not true. You think too bad of yourself."

I shook my head, I knew I was right, she was just too nice to tell it to my face.

"But you won't be happy with him."

I was fully crying by now and I didn't care.

"I know that. Do you think I am that stupid? He doesn't want a wife, he wants a servant. Besides, he is so much older than me, just the thought of him touching me is making me sick, but I cannot hope that everything turns out the way it did for you, though I wish with all my heart that it would." I shouted and jumped up, with swishing skirts I ran from the room, leaving my stunned sister behind.

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That's it for the first one... good, bad, in between? Tell me! :D


	12. Lizzy

Here's the next one, from Lizzie's POV and very short. But that is why I posted two chapters. I hope you like it.

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God, I had to do something, anything, I just couldn't allow her to be miserable for the rest of her life.

Mary saw herself completely different than others. Sure a few years ago she had been plain, some would have even said ugly, but she had grown up and by now she was a pretty girl. Different than the beauty of Jane or even mine, but she was. She just couldn't see it. Our mother wasn't helping either by telling her often that she was indeed still plain, just because she didn't look like the rest of us.

She could find someone way better than this Mr. Henceforth, when she just allowed herself to meet new people. When she would attend a ball looking like she had at Pemberley, she couldn't help herself with all the proposals she would receive.

But she was just as stubborn as I, she had set her mind on this marriage and no one could make her change her mind.

I had hoped by bringing the Earl up I could. Because for me it had been obvious that they had feelings for each other, why else would he come to Pemberley at least once a week, to spend hours and hours with Mary?

But the fact that he was engaged was shocking me, had I been so wrong about everything?

I left Mary's room determined to find her and talk some sense into her. She couldn't do this, I wouldn't allow it.

I walked downstairs when I heard voices, one was the voice of my mother and she seemed confused, the other was a familiar male voice. The person seemed furious.

I walked into the salon from which the voices were coming and there I saw the one person I had set all of my hope in.

The Earl of Suffolk.

"I guess you are looking for Mary." He whirled around and I was right, he was furious.

"Yes. Where can I find her?"

"I don't know for sure, she ran off." I answered, then I turned to my mother:

"Where did Mary go?"

"Towards the park." She replied obviously confused by the whole situation.

I didn't need to say any more because Mr. Howard was already storming out of the house. This could be interesting, maybe I had been right after all.

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Short but it answers a lot of questions I got. Wait and see what happens when Mary and Henry meet again. Both enganged!

R&R PLEASE! Reviews are addicting! :D


	13. I do

Here is the next chapter with lots of fluff in it. And don't worry there is much more in store for Henry and Mary. Their story is far from ever yet.

This chapter is dedicated to **thecuriousreader1002** who almost died waiting for the new chapter. I will try to update next weekend again. So stay tuned for more love and heartache.

Oh and as always please review!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except for Henry … haha lucky me! And a few other OCs

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Mary's POV

I sat on a bench deep inside the park, I didn't want to be found. My tears had dried by now. It didn't help me to cry, my future was set and there was no way around it. So I needed to be strong and make the best out of the situation, maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.

I knew that this probably wasn't the case, but thinking this helped me not to burst into tears again.

I got up from the bench and decided to return home, I needed to apologize to Lizzy, it hadn't been right to shout at her. She was just worried about me and I was grateful for that. So there were at least two people in my family who cared about me, my father and Lizzy.

I was so deep in my thoughts that I didn't see the person walking up to me until he shouted at me:

"What do you think you are doing?" I looked up, completely shocked, because I looked right into Henry's eyes.

"What….?" was the only thing I was able to mumble, what was he doing here? This made no sense at all.

"How can you even consider doing this?" he barked and I was confused, what was he so angry about? I had never seen him like this before.

"Doing what?" I had no idea what he was talking about, his words made no sense to me.

"You cannot just marry James Henceforth, he could be your father and the only thing he wants is a replacement for his dead wife."

So that was why he was so angry?

"I know that." That obviously took him by surprise, because he fell silent and just stared at me.

"Then why are you doing this?" he demanded to know and that made me angry. He had no right to ask me this. He was the one who didn't tell me about his engagement, even though we had shared everything over the months at Pemberley. Or at least that's what I had thought until the night I found out he was engaged to Camille.

"That is nothing of your concern!"

"Nothing…. Are you out of your mind?" he asked grabbing my shoulders and glaring down at me. "You cannot just get married."

"I can do whatever I want, it is my life and you are no longer a part of it." He looked hurt after I said that and I felt bad, but he had no right to ask me such questions, or try to make me refuse to marry Mr. Henceforth.

"You are angry with me?" he asked and I could hear the confusion in his voice.

"Yes I am. I thought we were honest with each other."

"We were, we are… I don't…" now he was the one being confused.

"I was, but you weren't."

"I was honest with you…" he said and I couldn't help but shake my head.

"Really? So you told me everything?" I asked, giving him the chance to tell me now that he was engaged.

"Yes. I told you more than I have ever told anyone before."

"Well it seems like you have forgotten one important fact…."

"And that would be?" he asked crossing his arms in front of his chest, he was still mad at me, which confused me a little, why would he be so mad at me because of the fact that I got engaged? He was engaged too, he shouldn't even care.

"Your fiancé Camille." I replied and again I felt a stabbing pain in my chest.

He groaned and ran his hands through his hair.

"My father chose her for me, when we were both very young. But when he died a few years ago, my mother said to me that I could marry the girl I want. She wants me to be happy and make my own decisions. That is why I talked to her after our last day at Pemberley. A letter is already sent to Camille, she will receive it within the next few days. In this letter we will annul the engagement, so I can marry the woman I want."

I wasn't quite sure what he wanted to tell me with this words, what did it have to do with me that he could marry the woman he wanted…. He couldn't mean … me, right?

I felt my heart speed. Just the mere thought of him wanting to marry me made me want to grin like a fool.

That would also explain why he was so mad at me, because he wanted to take care of everything, so he could ask me and meanwhile I said yes to someone else.

Our silence turned awkward for the first time since I've known him.

"Do you want to marry him?" he asked almost timid and I couldn't help but smile.

"No!"

"Then why did you say yes?" he wanted to know, he obviously had no idea why I did it and I sighed, how often was I supposed to say it out loud?

"Because I couldn't wait for someone else. My mother brought it to the point, I am plain, I don't get along very good with other people, I spend too much time in the library and with my piano, so who would want me?"

"I do." he said and now his hands were on my shoulders again. My heart started racing and I felt like I would faint any minute now. He really wanted me, me and no one else? Me for who I was? He knew all my faults and he still wanted to marry me?

It looked like my dream had come true after all.

I couldn't keep myself from smiling brightly at him.

"You really mean that?"

"Of course I do. It has been you since the moment I saw you at Pemberley." he replied and I blushed, he had been this sure from the beginning?

"What are we going to do now?"

"Well, first of all I will talk to your father, that he sends James Henceforth a letter in which he annuls the engagement and then we should talk to your mother." I nodded staying quite, my parents? They would be ecstatic about this turn. Especially mother, an Earl was proposing to me and she had said it wouldn't get any better than Mr. Henceforth. Well, obviously she had been wrong. I couldn't keep myself from smiling thinking this. Henry saw it and leaned a little closer to me, I could feel his warm breath on my cheek when he asked:

"What is amusing you?"

"Just the thought of my mother's reaction." As a response to my words, Henry started smirking, I loved his smirk… to be honest, I loved everything about him.

"I think she will be pleased."

"I think that is an understatement." I replied smiling a little more, but that smile faded when Henry leaned even closer and kissed my cheek.

"We should go and talk to your parents, my mother wants to meet you as soon as possible."

"That means?" I asked, while my face felt hot, I was probably bright red by now.

"You and your family will accompany me to Charlton Park, my mother is awaiting us, and your family is welcome to stay until our wedding."

I gasped, did he know what he got himself into? It took some time to prepare a wedding and he wanted them to stay at his house in the meantime?

"You are going to regret that…" I sighed, he was so wonderful, willing to do endure everything even my family and he got nothing in return. I had nothing I could give to him.

"What is making you so sad?" Henry asked lovingly taking my face in his warm hands.

"Just everything… I mean you put up with so much misery just because of me and there is nothing I can give you to make it up to you."

"Oh but love, you already do, just by being with me you give me more than you can imagine. I am willing to endure every misery there is when it results in you becoming my wife!" he said and I could see the honesty in his blue eyes. That really moved me, because I had never expected him to say anything like that at all.

His words made me smile and I nodded.

"If you say so… then we should go back to my mother and my father."

"Now, that sounds like a good idea to me." he smiled and let go of my face but only to offer his arm to me.

"Shall we Milady?"

I just smiled and placed my hand on his arm. It felt amazing being with him again. I had missed him so much over the past few weeks. But now everything seemed perfect, soon I would be his wife and then I never had to be without him again.

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That's it for now. I hope you all liked it. If you did, take a moment to tell me what you liked. Thanks to all of you who faithfully R&R this it motivates me to keep on writing.


	14. Telling the parents

Wow, you guys are really amazing. Thank you SOOOO much for the reviews. More than any other chapter before. So you like a little fluff :D

Good, then you will LOVE this chapter ;P

I hope you have fun with the new chapter and review as much as you can :D

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When I saw our house appearing in front of us, I grew nervous again. I was scared of what my mother would say. How much she would embarrass me and herself. But maybe Lizzy was still there and she could hold her back, just a little.

"Better brace yourself!" I whispered as soon as we reached the entrance door.

"Don't worry about me, I'm tough!" he replied and shrugged his broad shoulders. It was funny, it seemed like he really didn't care what my mother was about to do.

We entered the house and I could hear my mother and Lizzy talking in the salon so I lead Henry down the hall into the room.

Then everything happened very fast, as soon as my mother saw us, she jumped to her feet, gathered her skirts and ran towards me with a speed I had never expected nor seen from her before. She flung herself at me and because of the force of the impact I stumbled backwards. I would have fallen down if not for Henry. He quickly placed his arm around my middle to steady me.

I smiled gratefully at him over the head of my mother, who was now sobbing on my shoulder. What was the matter with her?

Obviously Lizzy had seen my confusion because she walked closer to me and said:

"I told mother everything about your stay at Pemberley you haven't told her."

"My dearest, dearest Mary… I never expected this. You are becoming a Countess. You are going to live better than Jane or even Lizzy."

I was confused, how did she know that we would marry? If Lizzy had just told her about the winter at Pemberley she couldn't know about his proposal just a few minutes ago.

But then again, the fact that he had visited me once a week and he came here obviously angry was enough for her to be sure that he wanted to marry me.

I was glad when she finally let go of me, because I was able to breathe again. But it just became worse, because she turned to Henry. She did her best to curtsy properly. The problem was that she was still sobbing and so she stumbled slightly, while wiping her nose with the sleeve of her dress. I could feel my cheeks heating up, why had my mother the special talent to make a fool out of herself in less than one minute?

Unsure I turned my gaze to Henry. He seemed unfazed by my mother's miserable try to be as graceful and sophisticated as possible.

He bowed slightly and said with a dazzling smile:

"It is a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Bennet. Please excuse my rudeness of not asking you first for your daughter's hand in marriage. I hope you can forgive me." My mother, as well as I stared at him with our mouths slightly hanging open. How could he even apologize, he had definitely no reason to apologize at all.

After a short moment my mother laughed nervously and waved her hand in front of her face, as if she felt hot.

"Oh my lord you have no reason to apologize you don't have to ask my husband or me. You can have Mary." I blushed again, harder this time, but because I felt ashamed once again. How could my mother say something like this to Henry? He obviously saw how uncomfortable I felt, because he smiled at me and his eyes told me that he didn't take my mother seriously, of which I was glad.

"As you don't seem to have objections regarding the wedding I would like invite your family to stay with my mother and I at Charlton Park until Mary and I are married." he said without hesitating once and as soon as the words left his mouth I turned to look at my mother. Her facial expression made me smile despite the embarrassment earlier, because she seemed about to faint. With her mouth hanging open she stared at Henry and didn't move at all until with a screech she came back to life. Within seconds she was out of the salon while we heard her screaming:

"Mr. Benett, Kitty, hurry, pack your bags."

"I take that as a yes!" Henry chuckled to my left, how could he stay so calm? Before I had the chance to ask Lizzy hugged me and kissed my cheeks.

"See I told you you could do better." she smiled at me and then turned to Henry.

"I expect you to make her happy!" she ordered, which made me smile, because even though Henry's status was even beyond Lizzy's after her marriage with Mr. Darcy, she still didn't hesitate to speak her mind and order him around.

"You can Mrs. Darcy." he smiled then turned to me.

"I guess you should go and pack too!"

I nodded slowly. He was right. We would leave today and that forever. I would never live here again, that thought made me happy beyond everything I ever felt before.

So I smiled at him before hurrying from the salon and upstairs to my room. I didn't have much dresses I wanted to take with me, but I had even more books I couldn't leave behind.

When I had packed all of my clothes, and started putting books into the chest we used for traveling, I heard a knock on the door behind me.

"Are you finished yet?" I heard Henry's amused voice and turned around.

"Almost, I am sorry. I will hurry." I promised which made him laugh. Obviously in a good mood he sat down on my bed and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Don't apologize. Take all the time you need. I won't leave without you!"

I couldn't keep myself from blushing, but I tried to hide it by stuffing more and more books into the chest.

"You know, Charlton Park has it's own library. You don't need to take your own with you!" Henry chuckled when he saw me carrying more books towards the chest.

"Those books are very dear to me. They were my life, I cannot just leave them behind." I tried to explain, those books had kept me going, made me endure all the things in my past.

"Well, you won't need to hide in books anymore! I promise you that your new life will be worth living and casting the books aside. At least most of the time." he vowed and that made me smile, because I was sure he could do that. Could give me a life that was worth living in the first place.

"Very well. I think that's all!" I said when I closed the chest which was rather difficult because of all the books inside.

"Good, I am sure your family is ready too. Let's go then." Henry smiled and helped me back to my feet. We stood very close and I could not only feel the warmth of his hand in mine, but also the warmth that was radiating from his body. I felt so safe when I was with him and I loved this feeling. I was unable to move. I just stood there and looked into his clear blue eyes, seeing my future in their depths.

Henry, who still held my hand from helping me up, pulled me a little closer, so that our bodies were almost touching. A shiver ran down my spine, when his eyes turned a shade darker and he raised his hand to my cheek.

His fingertips stroked my cheek softly and his skin felt wonderful warm against mine. I could stay like this forever, I thought, when he leaned a little closer, so I could feel his warm breath on my face.

Was he going to kiss me? That thought made me panic, because I had never kissed a man before and we weren't even married, but then again, we would be soon and I would love to know how it felt to be kissed by Henry.

But instead of kissing my lips, he kissed my forehead and said:

"I cannot wait for you to be my wife, then I don't have to think about what is appropriate and what is not!"

I felt my cheeks burning again, but despite that I heard myself asking:

"Since when do you care what is appropriate?"

He laughed about my words and kissed my cheek tenderly.

"Since I am engaged." he replied smiling.

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Awww...cute, isn't it? Or too much? Tell me!

Until next time. I will try to update the next Friday!

So stay tuned!


	15. Meet Joana

It is Friday again, which means, another new chapter for all the PP addicted :D

Thanks to all of you who took the time to review my last chapter, You guys are the greatest. Now without further ado...

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The shrill voice of my mother ruined our moment and made Henry take a step back.

"We should go!" I nodded and watched Henry lifting the chest from the ground.

"You only packed books?" he groaned, because of the weight of the chest.

"Almost." I admitted sheepishly, but Henry just shook his head carrying the chest downstairs, where my shocked mother instructed the two maids to take it from him.

I had to smile, even though I felt a little bad, watching the two women struggling to drag the chest outside, where our small carriage was waiting.

As a second thought I turned to Henry and asked:

"How long do we need to reach Charlton Park?"

"Considering the carriage and it's pace. I think five days." I bit my lip to keep myself from groaning, five days with my mother, Kitty and my father in one carriage. That seemed to be my worst nightmare coming true. But it was a price I was willing to pay for Henry. He was willing to endure my family for weeks until our wedding so I could put up with their chattering for a few days.

"Are you feeling unwell?" Henry asked worried but I just shook my head and smiled up at him.

"No, don't worry." My mother, Kitty and also my father were already inside the small carriage and I followed their example.

"Where is Lizzy?" I asked as soon as I took my seat beside Kitty.

"Oh, she left, she said she is waiting for an invitation to your wedding though." My mother replied and I nodded slowly. It still was like a dream to me, that I would actually be Henry's wife in a few weeks.

Thinking of him I turned to see him mounting his huge dark horse. I could see the muscles in his back working and let my eyes roam over his handsome face. I still didn't quite understand why a man like him was interested in me. As if he felt my eyes on him he turned his head and returned my look. He smiled brightly at me before he ran his horse and the carriage soon followed.

I leaned closer to the window, trying to ignore Kitty's voice, I just kept my eyes on Henry's broad shoulders so I always knew why I was doing this.

A tingling sensation ran through my whole body, I would be his wife soon!

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"As soon as we leave the forest you will be able to see Charlton Park." Henry informed us five days later, steering his horse closer to the carriage.

I smiled relieved because the last five days had been really stressful. My mother had told me so much in those five days, it was more than she had said to me in all my life before. It seemed that after Henry's proposal I was now her favorite daughter. I was sure that I didn't like that very much.

So I kept looking out of the window. I couldn't wait to see my new home. After Henry's description weeks ago, I imagined it to be beautiful, but I was curious how beautiful it really was.

I bit my bottom lip when the forest began to thin out and only moments later I saw it. My new home and it was even more beautiful than everything I had imagined.

It was sitting on a small hill, overlooking the pure nature surrounding it on three sides and the park to it's left. The white stone was shining in the light of the sun.

Henry had been right, it was more beautiful than Pemberley, though I had thought it would be impossible.

"It is wonderful." I whispered and Henry smiled at my words, both of us in our own little world, ignoring my screeching mother and Kitty.

"I am glad you like it!" he replied, his eyes never leaving mine.

"You were right with what you said about Pemberley."

Henry furrowed his brows, obviously not quite sure what I meant, but before I could explain it to him he laughed and nodded:

"Of course I was."

The street led towards the entrance, there was a staircase and at it's end was a huge double winged door. Just as I watched the entrance, the door swung open and dozens of people hurried out of it. Most of them were dressed in servant uniforms, they formed a line beside the staircase and waited for us, obviously.

"Home…" Henry smiled when the carriage stopped in front of the stairs, immediately two men hurried towards us, one took the reins of Henry's horse and the other one opened the door of the carriage. But before he 2could help us out of the carriage, Henry appeared by the door and held his hand out for me. I laid my hand in his and smiled, grateful for his help.

"Come with me, my mother wants to meet you!" he said, then he turned to my family and continued: "The servants will show you to your rooms and my mother is looking forward to meeting all of you at dinner, but before that I will take Mary with me to meet her."

I was surprised that my mother didn't even protest, but it was probably because of his status, he was an Earl after all.

But that thought quickly became irrelevant when Henry led me into the wonderful house and my heart started to pound in my chest, what if she didn't like me?

"What is worrying you?" Henry asked after a few steps into the entrance hall. I couldn't keep myself from smiling, because he just knew me too well.

"What did your mother say when you told her that you want to marry me and not Camille?"

"She told me that she would accept every woman I thought was good enough for me. So you do not need to worry, she will accept you and more than that she will love you." Henry explained to me and I smiled, because he was very good with words and I wasn't as nervous as I had been just a few moments ago. My heart was still beating rather fast, but I didn't feel like I would faint anymore.

We walked through the entrance hall, which was huge, with high pillars that supported the ceiling, right through a door into an elegant salon. The sunlight fell through big windows into the spacious salon. It was furnished with a lot of comfortable armchairs and lounges, as well as a small coffee table in the middle of the room. Beside the fireplace, without a fire in it, in a red armchair sat a woman. It just had to be Henry's mother, as she had the same blond hair and blue eyes. Despite her years, it was obvious, that she was beautiful. A few grey strands could be seen in her pinned up hair. She wore an elegant blue dress that brought out the color of her eyes.

"Ah Henry, you are back." she smiled and got up from her chair. Henry let go of my arm and walked over to her. He gave her a short kiss on the cheek and answered:

"Yes, it is good to see you too."

That was all the two spoke and Henry's mother turned to look at me.

"So… this is her." she asked with a small smile and made a step towards me. My heart started pounding again.

"It is an honor to meet you." I remembered my education and curtsied, that obviously amused her, because she laughed a little and said:

"No need to be this formal, we will be a family very soon. Just call me Joana." I was surprised by her friendliness. Wasn't she at least a little angry that her son decided to marry someone like me?

She obviously saw my confusion and put a hand on my shoulder while saying:

"Henry, would you give us some time alone?" He looked just as surprised as I felt, but nodded and offered me an encouraging smile before he left the salon.

"Sit, there is a lot I want to tell you." Joana said and led me over to one of the lounges, she sat down beside me.

"You may think I was surprised by Henry's choice or even angry, as Camille's family has a lot of influence and money, but to be honest with you, I was relieved when he told me that he found a woman he wants to marry."

"Really?" I asked, I couldn't understand why she would be relieved.

"Yes, because I married for all the wrong reasons and was unhappy with my life. I don't want my son to live the same life, or make the same mistakes." She explained and looked a little sad.

"Don't get me wrong. I wouldn't change a thing if I could because it gave me Henry and I love him more than anything else, that is why I want him to do whatever makes him happy. I have never heard him talk about a woman like he spoke about you. You already make him happy, so how could I be angry with him, or you?"

I was at a loss for words, this woman was remarkable and it must have been great having her as a mother.

"You have feelings for him too, right? This is not about his money or his title, is it?" she asked only moments later looking disturbed and almost angry.

I hurried to tell her that this was not the case.

"Yes I do. It is crazy, as I don't know him for very long, but I have never felt anything like this and even though I am still a little overwhelmed that he has feelings for me too. I promise you that I don't care a bit about his money or his title…but.." I hesitated, should I tell her about how my mother felt about this marriage? Maybe it was better to tell her now myself before my mother said something stupid that made Joana doubt my motives.

"But what?" she asked curious, though she smiled again.

"My mother, she is… well, a difficult person. For her money and titles are very important and she may even tell you exactly that. I don't want you to get the wrong idea about everything…" Joana raised her hand and silenced me by doing so.

"You don't have to tell me more. I heard a lot about your mother not only from Henry, but from various people I know. I don't think anything she can say, will make me think less of you, because what I have heard about you so far impressed me and it is obvious that you have feelings for my son too."

Was it? I wondered, was it really that obvious? Had Henry known it all along, because I was not good at concealing my feelings? I thought until now, that I had been rather successful in hiding what I felt.

"No need to blush. It is quite alright, my dear." Joana laughed and took my hands in hers. I knew my cheeks were turning a deeper shade of red now, which appeared to amuse Joana even more.

"So how would you like getting to know the house, and seeing your room?" Joana changed the topic and I was rather grateful for it.

"I would love it." I answered honestly, I hadn't seen much of the house yet, but what I had seen was beautiful and I couldn't wait to see more of it.

"Good, and I think it is time to let Henry back in, I am sure he is pacing up and down in front of the door." Joana answered and when she opened the double winged door of the salon it turned out that she had been right. But Henry stopped pacing when he saw us.

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Tada... that's it. I thought the story needed a nice, understanding mother. Someone who likes Mary for who she is.

After all she deserves a break, growing up with Mrs. Bennet as your mother, must be exhausting :D

Alright-y I hope you like it. Just press the button below and tell me in a REVIEW!

See ya next week! ... More or less^^


	16. Beautiful

Wow... it's Friday already, I almost forget to upload a new chapter... hihi... but only almost.

So here is the next chapter.

A little more fluff and I like this chapter, I hope you do too!

As always thanks to all of your who review oh and we just broke the 100 reviwes for this story! OMMMG! Amazing! You guys are the greatest.

Keep it up, please :D

Now enjoy!

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"Is everything alright?" he asked worried and looked at me. I couldn't keep myself from smiling.

"Yes. Your mother is really nice." Henry sighed in relief and came closer to us, that was when his mother said:

"How about you show her the mansion? There is a lot to see after all and it's still some time until dinner."

"Sounds like a good idea to me, shall we then?" Henry answered and smiled at me, once again my breath caught in my throat and I needed a moment to place my hand on his arm, he offered to me.

"Have fun kids." Joana said when we started walking down the hall and I smiled, because this would be my home soon and I would live with Joana and Henry. I couldn't wish for a better life.

"So, what do you think?" Henry asked me, when we finished our tour in the library. My eyes were still huge, as this was the biggest library I had ever seen. There was probably every book in here that had ever been written and I couldn't wait to start working through every single shelf.

"This is the most beautiful mansion I have ever seen." I replied honestly and let my eyes roam over the shelves inside the room.

"I am glad that you like it, as this is going to be your home from now on." Henry said and stepped behind me. He placed his arms around my shoulders and pulled my back against his chest. A shiver ran down my spine and I leaned against him with a little sigh. It felt wonderful being this close to him and I closed my eyes enjoying the feeling.

"Am I right that you are going to spend a lot of time in here?" I heard Henry chuckle beside my ear.

"Yes, of course. I mean I have never seen a library as big as this. There are so many books in here, more than I have ever seen before."

"I hope you can spare some time for your husband." Henry said and my heart stopped for a short moment before it started to race in my chest. Yes, he would be my husband soon, that thought alone was still overwhelming.

"I think I can manage that." I replied with a laugh and Henry soon joined me.

"And if not, I just have to make you forget the books." he then said and kissed my shoulder through my dress.

How could he actually think that I would rather spend time with the books, than him? Books had never been able to make me feel like he could.

"And I think you can manage that!" I answered, though I sounded a little breathless.

"I am sure I can." he sounded confident, which wasn't all that surprising, as he was a very confident man.

I enjoyed our closeness for a little longer until Henry spoke again.

"I think it is almost time for dinner, if you want I can show you to your temporary room, so you can change."

Even though I wanted nothing more than to stay in his embrace forever I actually wanted to change and freshen up a little, before dinner.

"Yes, that would be wonderful." I answered and Henry let go of me, I sighed a little disappointed and turned to look at him, surprised to see him looking just as disappointed as I felt.

With a small smile he took my hand in his and led me out of the library, then I remembered his words from before and couldn't help but ask.

"What do you mean with temporary?"

That question obviously amused him immensely as he laughed before he finally explained it to me:

"I thought it was obvious. This is only your room until we are married. Then you will have your personal rooms next to mine. My mother planned everything, the salon from which one door leads into my room and one into your room. But she is strict, she doesn't want you to see it before the marriage. She said something about it being a wedding gift."

I smiled about his words, even though I felt myself blushing again. Being this close to him, even sleeping in one bed with him, made me feel rather faint and that even though I had never actually fainted before.

Henry interrupted my thoughts when we stopped in front of a door and he said:

"This is your room. I hope you like it, I will now go and change myself. But if you want I can pick you up in half an hour to escort you to the dinning room."

"I would like that." I answered and looked up at him.

"Good, I see you very soon then." he smiled and once again kissed my cheek before turning around and walking down the hall. I couldn't keep myself from looking at him until he rounded the corner, it was strange, I couldn't get enough of just looking at him, which probably had to do with the fact, that he was so handsome.

I finally turned around and opened the door to my room, my temporary room, as Henry had reminded me and walked inside. I was shocked to see that the room was bigger than the complete ground floor of our home. At least half a dozen windows allowed the light of the setting sun to stream right into the room, illuminating the snow white carpet and the huge bed in the middle. At least three people could fit into that bed and my own bed at home was probably a quarter of this one.

Something else caught my attention very quickly, there laid a dress on my bed and I was sure that it wasn't one of mine. As I didn't have dresses that beautiful and of such high quality. I slowly walked closer and examined the dress. It was indeed beautiful, the most beautiful dress I had ever seen, to be exact. It's color was a rich green with golden embroidery on the sleeves and the neckline. On top of the dress laid a sheet of paper. I took it and read the message, which made me smile.

"_This was once my favorite dress and I am sure you will look wonderful in it. So if you like it, I would be very happy to see you wear it. Joana.__"_

So she really wanted to give me such a beautiful dress? I couldn't believe it, but the silk between my fingers told me that it was indeed true and not just my imagination. I quickly took off my own simple blue dress and folded it, before it put it onto the bed. Then I pulled Joana's old dress over my head. I sighed, as it felt wonderful on my skin. I carefully tied the back of the dress and was surprised to see that it actually fit me like it had been made for me. The cut was similar to the one of the dress I had worn at Pemberley, when I had first met Henry.

Feeling a little self conscious I walked over to the big mirror next to the wardrobe and looked at myself. I had to say that the color looked rather good on me, though usually I didn't wear such bright colors. My mother had always told me, that they attracted too much attention and she didn't want too much attention on me.

Next, I inspected my hair and decided to undo it and comb it before pulling it into the bun again. Carefully I pulled the pins out of my hair and soon enough it feel loosely over my shoulders almost down to my waist. I sighed, while combing it, since I could remember I had wanted it too look like my sister's, but it was completely straight and everything I had tried to curl it, hadn't worked.

When I pulled the first bangs of my hair back and pinned them to the back of my head I heard a knock on my door. Had it already been half an hour? I cursed under my breath, because I didn't want to let Henry wait, so I hurried over to the door and pulled it open.

"I need one more moment to finish my hair. But you can come in and wait here, I promise it won't take long." I explained quickly which made Henry laugh, but before I had the chance to return to the mirror he placed both hands on my shoulders.

"It looks good to me. Just leave it like this." he said and ran a hand through my hair.

"But…"

"No buts, I think it looks beautiful and I hope you wear it open more often." he smiled and I felt my cheeks heating up. He liked my hair? He even thought it was beautiful?

"Alright…" I gave in, it was obvious that he wouldn't and if he actually liked it this way then I would keep it down, even though I couldn't understand what he liked so much about it.

"Good. We should go then." Henry smiled and pulled his hand from my hair, before offering his arm to me. I took it and together we left the room.

"That color looks very good on you!" he complimented me after a moment, which made me blush again, I just wasn't used to getting compliments and I wasn't sure how to respond.

"Thank you. Your mother gave it to me." I finally answered.

"So you two are getting along… that's good!" He sounded relived and to be honest I was too, as I had been worried that she would reject me because of my social standing. But Joana was different than I had imagined and the best mother-in-law I could have hoped for.

We reached our goal, a wonderful dining room, with high ceilings and windows. The view over the grounds of Charlton Park was amazing and I couldn't wait to explore the garden.

My thoughts were soon interrupted when I saw my family near the marble fireplace, but not only them, Joana was also there. I let go of Henry's arm and hurried over to her.

"Thank you for the dress. It is really beautiful."

"You are quite welcome my dear and you look wonderful, you should wear you hair like this more often." Joana smiled brightly and once again I blushed.

"Mary?" I heard Kitty's voice and turned to look at my youngest sister. Her eyes were huge and fixed on my dress.

"Yes..." I replied not quite sure what she was about to say, if she would embarrass me in front of Joana, but when I felt Henry's presence next to me, I couldn't care less. It was funny how safe I felt when I was with him, I didn't even care what my mother or Kitty had to say, knowing that he didn't care.

"That is a really pretty dress, you are so lucky to have such a rich fiancé, now you will only wear dresses like this." I bit my bottom lip and tensed, as this was probably the worst she could have said, luckily I had warned Joana about it and Henry probably didn't listen to her. As if to confirm my thoughts Henry placed his hand on the small of my back and said:

"How about dinner? I am sure we are all very hungry!"

"Yes… " Kitty exclaimed excited and clapped her hands while beaming up at Henry, which wasn't surprising, he was handsome and rich, everything she wanted in a man. I furrowed my brows and glared a little at her, for a short moment I wasn't sure why I was angry with her, as it was understandable that she felt drawn to him, every woman would and then it dawned to me, I was jealous.

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That's it for now!

See ya next Friday, more or less :D R&R PLEASE


	17. Dinner

Hi everyone... it's Friday... again... wow... this week went by very fast!

And as always, here is my newest chapter! I hope you enjoy it and don't forget to R&R

Thanks, have a great weekend :D

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"Are you coming?" Henry interrupted my thoughts and I nodded, smiling up at him, as there was no reason to be jealous, he would, after all, marry me.

"Yes." We both followed the others to the table and when a few maids brought the first course, my mother decided to address Joana.

"We are very grateful for you generous offer to let us stay here until my dear Mary is married." Dear Mary? Since when, I asked myself, but knew the answer only moments later, since I was engaged to an Earl.

"You don't have to thank us Mrs. Bennet. We are happy to have you here." She was really good with being polite and if I didn't know any better I would say that she actually meant what she said.

"I still cannot believe it, that my Mary is marrying an Earl. I always thought Jane would be so lucky, but in comparison to your house her mansion looks rather small. I think it is really astonishing and may I ask you the question why, as I still don't understand it." She continued and I blushed dark crimson. Sure I had asked myself that question hundreds of times, since we left Hertfordshire. But I had been too scared to ask, somehow I still expected an answer like the one from Mr. Henceforth. That he liked the fact that I was plain or something similar.

"I am surprised that you even have to ask that Mrs. Bennet. You of all people should know about Mary's assets." Henry replied and I had to smile at that. He was really good, telling my mother what she wanted to hear, without actually telling her something. I was a little disappointed though, because I had been really interested in his answer.

"Of course…" my mother replied with burning cheeks and I was sure that she was asking herself over and over again, what my assets were.

"So, how do you like the mansion?" Joana changed the subject when the second course arrived. I took a bite of the fish on my plate and sighed. It tasted really good.

"It is beautiful… I have never seen anything like this!" Kitty replied, her mouth full of fish. I sighed deeply, getting more and more annoyed with them by the minute.

Henry who sat to my right, obviously saw my discomfort and placed his hand on my knee, squeezing it gently. I smiled up at him, grateful for his effort, while enjoying the sensation of his touch.

I heard that my mother said something, but I couldn't understand it, as I kept looking into Henry's blue eyes. I loved his eyes.

I winced in surprise when a maid placed the dessert in front of me, that ended the moment between Henry and me. He also took his hand off my knee. I turned to look at the chocolate cake on my plate and smiled. Chocolate was my favorite dessert, but my parents said that it was too expensive, so we didn't eat it as often, as I would like.

So I started eating and sighed happily, the chocolate cake was delicious.

"It seems you like the cake. One thing we have in common then." Joana smiled brightly and I blushed a little.

"Yes, I really do. The dinner was wonderful." I replied and for the first time my mother and I were in agreement about something, because she said:

"Mary is right, the food was very delicious."

"Thank you very much." Joana replied and got up, we all did the same and I was relieved when Joana continued:

"I am sure everyone is very tired from the travel and the next few weeks will be hectic with the planning of the wedding, so I think it would be a good idea to retire for today." That was actually a very good idea, because I couldn't take much more of my family and wasn't quite sure what to make of the silence of my father. During the whole dinner, he hadn't said a word, which worried me, maybe it would be best to ask him, as soon as we had some time alone.

"That is a wonderful idea." my mother smiled brightly, which didn't surprise me at all, she would probably agree to everything Joana said, just because of who she was and how much money her family had, though there was so much more about this family. I knew that, even though I had yet a few things to find it out myself.

"Then it is settled, Mary I would like a word with you, so would it be alright, if I accompany you to your room?" Joana addressed me and I was surprised, but I had of course no objections. So I nodded, though I smiled a little about Henry's facial expression. It was obvious that he didn't like his mother taking me back to my room, but he didn't argue, though I was sure that later on he would tell his mother what he thought of her actions. That was how Henry was, always speaking his mind.

"Henry, I am sure you will be so kind to bring Mary's family to their rooms." Joana continued, walked around the table and took my arm. Then she led me out of the room without giving Henry a chance to object.

As soon as the door of the salon closed behind us, I couldn't stop myself. I looked curious at Joana, who still held my arm and asked:

"What do you want to talk to me about?"

"Your father talked to me this afternoon and he expressed his worry regarding your decision to marry Henry."

That surprised me, he had talked to Joana and what exactly had he said?

"His worry?"

"Well, he told me that he wasn't sure about your intentions. He said that he thinks you only want to marry Henry because of your mother and her influence on you and that he wants you to marry the man you love."

"What no…! I told you that I really have feelings for him. You have to believe me… I…" I began, worried that she actually listened to what my father had said. But before I could say more she interrupted me.

"Don't worry my dear. I don't doubt your intentions. I just think that you should talk to your father about his worries."

"I will. As soon as possible, I promise!" I answered which made Joana smile.

"I think that can wait until tomorrow. I am sure you are tired too." And as a matter of fact I really was, so I would wait until the next day to talk to my father. We then reached my room and I said to Joana:

"Thank you for telling me and for not believing my father!"

"How could I after getting to know you a little. As I told you before, it is obvious that you want to marry Henry for all the right reasons. But it honors him, that he wants his daughter to be happy and doesn't care about Henry's title, as long as he isn't sure if you really do what you want!"

"I know." I mumbled and was close to tears, it still felt strange knowing that my father cared so much about me, while not even a year ago I had thought that he didn't care at all.

Joana obviously saw my tears and wanted to give me some space to calm down, because she said:

"I will retire too. This has been a rather stressful day. I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night!" I answered and watched her walk down the corridor, before I entered my room. I knelt down beside my chest and took out a simple cotton nightgown. Carefully I took off the beautiful dress Joana had given me and folded it before putting it away. I pulled the remaining hairpins out and then put the nightgown on. Yawning I walked over to my bed, grateful for the fire in the fireplace that shed enough light for me to see somehing inside the room. I slipped under the covers and sighed a content sigh, the bed was amazingly comfortable. Within moments I was asleep.

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	18. This kiss

Thanks for all your reviews! You Rock!

Here's the next chapter - sorry rather short… maybe I will update on Sunday another short one :D

HAVE FUN and R&R

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When I woke it was still completely dark in my room, I needed a moment to understand where I was, because the surroundings were still very unknown to me. But when I realized where I was I smiled, relieved that this hadn't been a dream.

I shortly wondered what time it was, as I didn't feel tired anymore. The fire to my right wasn't burning, there was just a soft glow coming from it. I sat up and thought a moment about what to do. At home I usually read when I couldn't sleep, so maybe I should do the same.

Carefully I climbed out of the huge bed and lit the candle on my nightstand. With the candle in my hand I walked over to my chest and looked inside. I had already read all of these books and with the thought in the back of my head, that there was a huge library not far from my room, I couldn't force myself to reread one of the books. So instead of a book, I pulled my dark blue dressing gown out of the chest. I put it on and left my room, on bare feet. I snuck through the corridor as quietly as possible, I didn't want to wake anyone.

I couldn't keep myself from smiling when I finally reached the library. With a little effort I opened the big door and slipped into the room. What surprised me was the fact that there was a fire burning in the fireplace and half a dozen candles were lit.

"Why are you up already?" I heard a familiar voice and turned to look at Henry who sat in an armchair near the window.

"I couldn't sleep anymore and you?" I replied and walked over to where he sat.

"Me neither, how did you sleep?"

"Very good!" I answered, taking the seat in front of him.

"That's good, so what did my mother want to tell you?" he asked interested and leaned a little closer to me, so that his arms were resting on his knees while he looked at me with those intense blue eyes of his.

"My father obviously thinks that I don't want to marry you for the right reasons. He thinks I only agreed to do it, because of my mother's influence and your title. He told your mother of his concern and she told me."

"She doesn't believe him, does she?" Henry asked, looking alarmed. That made me smile, because I had felt the same way after Joana had told me.

"No. She just wanted to tell me, so I can talk to my father and convince him otherwise."

"Good." Henry smiled and sounded relieved.

For a short moment we were both silent until he started to talk again.

"You look pretty." he smiled and I blushed, realizing just now what I was wearing. Immediately I pulled my dressing gown closer around me, which made Henry laugh.

"No need to blush. I really mean it. You look very pretty, besides, we are going to be married in a matter of weeks, so it isn't all that inappropriate to see you like this." He was right, but still, I felt rather insecure under his gaze.

"I can't help it when you look at me like that." I answered honestly and was sure that my cheeks were fiery red by now.

"I like that!" Henry said and placed his hand on my cheek, his thumb softly stroking my skin.

"Really?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Of course. It shows just how wrong your father is and that we are getting married for the only reason that counts."

And again he was right, how could I be interested in his title or his money, when he was so wonderful and made me feel like a completely different person? Like someone who was wanted, someone who had finally found a place where she belonged.

"You are right!" I smiled at him and could picture myself as his wife and how I longed for that moment.

"Of course I am." he chuckled, which made me smile. I had expected that answer.

"I love it, when you smile like this." he said and brushed a strand of loose hair out of my face.

"I can't help it, when I'm with you!" I answered honestly and blushed dark crimson. Usually I couldn't talk about my feelings, but with Henry it was really easy. Though most of the time I realized what I had said ridht after I said it, which meant it was too late to think about it some more.

"That's good…" he replied with a smile, though there was something in his eyes I couldn't quite name. Before I had more time to think about it, he leaned closer to me and kissed me. I froze for a short moment, before my heart started to race in my chest

and I kissed him back. I had never been kissed before and it was more amazing than anything I had ever felt before. The kiss was so tender and loving that, for a moment, it took my breath away. Carefully I placed my hands on his shoulders which felt hard under my fingers and enjoyed the shockwaves running through my body. When he slowly ended the kiss, I couldn't keep myself from sighing disappointed. I would have liked to kiss him some more. I blushed dark crimson for that wish.

Henry leaned his forehead against mine and I could see that he was slightly out of breath, just as I.

"Wasn't that very inappropriate?" I finally asked with a small smile, remembering Henry's words from the day in my room.

"I think so." he agreed with a smile and immediately continued: "But it would have killed me if I waited any longer!" If possible I blushed even darker.

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Yai, a kiss, what do you think? Sweet or ewwww?


	19. Roses

As promised, here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy it and who knows maybe we will hit the 130 reviews with this chapter :D

It's worth a try, right?

Now enjoy

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I was at a loss for words and Henry obviously saw it, because he asked:

"Are you still not tired?"

"Yes, why?" I asked interested. I could see that he was already planning something. His eyes always told what was going on in his head.

"Because there is something I would like to show you. If you want." Of course I wanted, how could he doubt that?

"Of course I want." I replied smiling brightly. I hadn't been this happy in a long time… maybe never before.

"Good." Henry grinned and got up. He help me up as well and continued: "I will take you to your room. Because you have to get dressed first."

He took my hand and lead me through the hallways back to my room. He was already dressed so he stopped in front of my door, saying:

"I will wait here. Just come out, when you are ready."

"I'll be right back." I said and let go of his hand. Quickly I entered the room. And got rid of my nightgown. I pulled a plain dark blue dress from the chest someone had placed near my bed. I put it on and brushed my hair. I thought a moment about pulling it back into the bun I usually wore, but I remembered Henry's words, that he liked it like this. So I just left the room again.

As he had promised he waited in front of the door and smiled as soon as he saw me.

His eyes roamed over my face and I could see a loving expression in his blue eyes. This expression made my knees go week.

"Ready to go?" he asked and took my hand in his big one.

"Yes." I smiled and Henry lead me down the hallway. I gathered my skirt with one hand while we climbed down the main staircase.

When we reached the entrance door, I couldn't contain my curiosity anymore. So I asked:

"Where are we going?"

"You will see when we get there. It is my favorite place." Henry answered and opened the door. The sky was turning a slight shade of grey which meant the sun would come up soon.

"We should go and take my horse. If we walk there, we won't be back in time for breakfast and I am sure neither your family nor my mother will like that very much." He was of course right and I still needed to talk to my father.

I nodded and Henry pulled me over to the entrance of the stables.

"Wait here. I'll be right back." he said with a smile and disappeared into the building. I ran a hand through my hair and threw it back over my shoulder. I wasn't used to wearing it like this. That was the reason why it always startled me when some strands of my hair touched my arms.

When I felt that, I always thought that a spider was crawling up my arm and I had an irrational fear of those animals.

I looked up when I heard the clip clop of hooves. Shortly after, Henry emerged from the stables holding his stallion by the reins.

I hadn't seen before how huge the animal was. But now that I stood by it's side, the tip of my head barely toped the back of the horse.

I felt insecure immediately. Seeing myself falling off of the horse and breaking my neck.

"Maybe we should walk after all." I said in a low voice. Henry looked surprised for a moment, but then he laughed.

"Don't worry. Arion is a nice horse. Besides, I won't let anything happen to you, I promise." I sighed. Because even though I believed him, I couldn't help being scared.

"Come." Henry smiled at me and even though it was difficult for me I made a step towards the animal. Before I had the chance to be afraid any longer, he placed his hands on my waist. Without a problem he hoisted me onto the back of the huge horse. I gasped and grabbed for the mane, just to have something to hold on to.

But that became irrelevant as Henry climbed onto the horse behind me. He placed his arm around my middle and pulled my body against his chest.

Immediately a shiver ran down my spine and made me forget my fear. Until the horse started moving. I grabed Henry's arm around my waist and held onto it for dear life. That seemed to amuse him, because I heard his chuckle next to my ear, before he said:

"You aren't a very skilled rider, are you?"

"No. To be honest I have never sat on the back of a horse. It just wasn't necessary until now. When we left the house we always took the carriage and when I decided to go somewhere on my own. Well, I walked."

"I think we should change that. I am sure you'll enjoy horseriding as soon as you got over your fear." Henry answered and maybe he was right. Maybe I would really like it. It wouldn't hurt to try it. At least I hoped so.

"Maybe." I said and had to admit that I enjoyed feeling the wind on my face. My eyes roamed over the park and it was magnificent.

We rode down on a small way that lead through an alley with chesnut trees. On the left side of the mansion I saw our goal. Or at least I thought it had to be.

It was a beautiful rosegarden. We stopped in front of the entrance of the secluded garden. It was a gate overgrown with white roses. From the gate a way lead deeper into some kind of maze. Because at the end of the way I could see a junction that lead down three different paths.

I stopped my survey of the rose garden, when Henry jumped off his horse and lifted me from it's back too.

He placed me down right in front of him and I smiled up at him. For a moment we just stood there. His hands were still on my waist and I couldn't break the eye contact. I was surprised when I felt his firm chest, dressed in a shirt under my palm. I hadn't even realized that I moved my hand.

His heart beat steady under my fingers and I liked that feeling.

"We should go inside and not stay here forever." Henry finally managed to say and his voice sounded hoarse. That made me furrow my brows, because I wasn't sure why.

Henry's right hand slid from my hip to the small of my back and he steered me softly towards the gate.

When we passed the gate, the sun came up from behind the horizon. The garden looked even more beautiful in the soft light of the morning.

We walked deeper into the maze and turned left and right so many times, that soon I lost my orientation.

Henry obviously knew the way, because not long after we turned right the last time we reached the centre. There was a small pond with water lilys in it. In front of the pond, hidden in between red rose hedges was a small bench.

So this was our goal. I thought smiling when we sat down. The view was amazing. The pond glittering in the sun and the roses behind it.

"It's beautiful!" I sighed letting my eyes take everything in.

"That is why I wanted to show you this place. I was certain you would like it." he answered and put his arm around my shoulders. I leaned my head against his shoulder and closed my eyes. I loved spending time with him. It still was a miracle to me, that he wanted me when he could have someone like Camille.

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That's it, hope you liked it, REVIEW please!


	20. Why

Another fluff filled chapter - but I think Mary needs that :D

Tell me what you think and again thanks to all my faithful Readers and reviewers.

I love you all!

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I remembered my mother's question the night before and how Henry had avoided answering it. Would I be brave enough to ask him? Did I even want to know the answer? What if it was something like Mr. Henceforth had said?

I bit my lip and pondered that thought in my head. But before I could make up my mind Henry asked:

"You look worried. Is everything alright?" My eyes flew open and I could see the concern on his handsome face.

This was my chance, so I gathered all my courage and asked:

"Why did you choose me?"

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked back, but I didn't see it. So I shook my head, indicating that I really didn't know.

"There is a number of reasons." he started and turned towards me, his hands now holding mine, while I looked into his serious face.

"The first thing I noticed about you was your passion for books. When I walked into the salon at Pemberley I saw you sitting in that chair completely lost in your book. Oblivious to the rest of the world. I have never seen a woman so passionate about something. That was the moment I knew that I needed to talk to you. So I did. The next thing thing that attracted my attention was your face when you looked up. You looked so surprised when I talked to you. Like you would expect me to run away any moment. Which was highly unlikely as all I wanted was to spend more time with you. So we did. I visited you at Pemberley and soon enough you warmed up to me. You told me about your dreams, your passion for books, even about your family. And with each new information I got, I knew that I would never be satisfied with my knowledge about you. I want to know every little detail that is you. I want to know your thoughts before you speak them, and most of all I want to make you happy. You should know, that you are smart, ingenious, kind hearted and honest. There is no reason for you to be insecure. Because from the moment you looked up from your book at Pemberley I was mesmerized by your beauty. Your fair complexion, which is a stunning contrast to your dark hair and your deep brown eyes. I could look at you and be content with just doing that. I think it is time someone tells you. Because you obviously don't know how desireable you are and that only a fool would look at you and didn't want you to become his wife."

I knew that my cheeks were crimson, as they burned like never before. No one had ever told me so many nice things. Had told me, that despite everything my mother and part of my sisters told me, I was indeed worth being noticed.

"Don't cry." Henry told me, looking desperate.

I was crying? I hadn't noticed. But I was, I realized when I raised my hand to my wet cheek.

"I never meant to make you cry." Henry said distressed, trying to wipe the tears from my cheeks.

"It's alright. It's just that no one ever said something like this me." I sniffed and couldn't keep the tears from falling.

Henry then pulled me into his arms, which I was rather happy about. Because I could hide my face in the fabric of his shirt and he didn't see me. I must have looked horrible.

Slowly my tears stopped pouring down my cheeks and I sighed against his chest. Realizing this moment just how close I was to him. That I could feel his heartbeat under my cheek and his strong arms around me.

I felt safe with him and loved. Something I had never felt like this before.

Henry softly carassed my back and kept whispering soothing words into my hair. I stayed in his embrace for a moment longer, before I freed myself from his arms.

I wiped the last remaining tears from my face and smiled up at him.

"I'm sorry."

"Never apologize. That is not necessary." he answered and brushed a strand of hair from my face.

"We should head back. I am sure it is almost time for breakfast."

"I also need to talk to my father." I said and got up as well. Side by side we walked back through the maze to the horse, that was patiently waiting in front of the gate.

Henry helped me onto the back and hoisted himself up behind me. Once again I held onto his arm around my waist. I wasn't as scared as on the way to the garden, but still scared enough.

It didn't take long for us to get back to the entrance of the house. By now the servants were also up. One of them hurried towards us and took the reins of Henry's horse. He then jumped off of the horses back and helped me down too.

"The weather is good. I am sure we will find my mother on the terrace." Henry said to me and offered his arm to me. I took it and he lead me into the house, through the entrance into the salon where I had met Joana.

The terrace doors of the salon were opened and Henry was right. We found his mother at a small table, sitting under a big white parasol. But not only she was there. My father sat to her right. Both sipping their tea silently.

That was probably the best chance I could get for talking to him.

"Good Morning!" I greeted both of them and Joana placed her cup back down.

"Good morning dear, I hope you rested well." She greeted me. I nodded and turned to my father:

"Father would you mind walking with me a little?" He looked surprised for a minute, but shortly after agreed. He shortly bowed to Henry and then we walked down the steps of the terrace towards the park in front of us, while Henry took his seat next to his mother.

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That's it for now, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing this! And den't forget to REVIEW ;P


	21. Father

Hello everyone. I'm back :D

Thanks to all of you who reviewed! You guys are amazing and inspire me to keep writing.

Now enjoy

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"There is something I need to talk to you about!" I said, when we were out of hearing distance of Henry and his mother.

"About what?" He asked confused.

"Joana told me about your concerns." I started but was interrupted when my father asked:

"Joana?" I laughed, because he of course didn't know her as Joana. To him she was Countess Howard.

"Henry's mother." I explained and he nodded. He obviously knew what concerns I was talking about, so I continued:

"I wanted to tell you that you don't have to worry about me! I really want to marry Henry."

"But why? I've never heard you mentioning him." My father answered and looked suspicious.

"I met him almost five months ago at Mr. Darcy's birthday. We talked and he visited me the next day at Pemberley. Over the winter, he came to see me at least once a week. And I didn't mention him, because I knew of his title and how mother would react. Back then I thought he would never actually consider marrying me. So I didn't want mother to pester him." I explained and stopped walking so I could look at my father's reaction to my words.

"You do have feelings for him then?"

"Yes. Very much. Remember, you told me that you want me to be as happy and excited about my wedding as my sister have been. And I am. I cannot wait to marry him and I don't care about his title or his money. Even though I know mother does. But I know that I will be happy here, with Joana and Henry with me. This is a life I never expected. It still amazes me, that he wants me, when he could have had someone like Camille."

"Camille? The young Lady we visited at Hertfordshire? What has she to do with this?"

"Well, Henry's father wanted him to marry her. They got engaged when they were both children. But because of me he broke that engagement." I felt a little proud saying that. That someone actually preferred me over someone as perfect as Camille.

"Why didn't you tell me so from the beginning? I wouldn't have to worry then."

"I am sorry. I just didn't think about it. That you could worry about this, everyone tells me how obvious my feelings are for him. So I thought you would see it too."

"Fathers tend to overlook something like that. We all don't want to see our little girls grow up. You will see your Earl will be no difference when you have a daughter."

I felt tears in my eyes. I had never talked this open with my father about my feelings, or he about his.

"I love you papa." I said and hugged him. I hadn't called him papa for years. My mother had told me that it wasn't appropriate, when I turned ten, so I had stopped. And from there our relationship had gone downhill.

"I love you too Mary and I wish you nothing but the best. All I want for my daughters is that they are happy." He whispered in my hair, his voice hoarse. This was very emotional for him too.

"I am and I will be forever!" I promised and he nodded. Obviously pleased.

"So how about we get back? I am sure you are hungry." As a matter of fact I was. So I let go of my father and with my hand on his arm we returned to the terrace. By now Joana and Henry had finished their breakfast and they weren't alone. My mother and Kitty sat with them at the table. Kitty was telling Henry something and he nodded politely. But as soon as he saw us coming he wasn't interested anymore. He excused himself before hurrying over to me. My father walked past him and said:

"If you have some time later on. I would like to talk to you."

"Of course. We can go to my study after we finished breakfast." Henry replied a little surprised.

I smiled at him and reassured him.

"Don't worry. Everything is alright now. He knows everything."

"Everything?" Henry asked and raised a blond eyebrow. I couldn't keep myself from blushing because I knew what he was implying. My heart started to pound in my chest, thinking of our kiss.

"Well, obviously not EVERYTHING!" I answered and he laughed, before turning back to the breakfast table. I sat down in between Joana and my mother.

A servant placed a dish with porridge in it in front of me.

I smiled and started eating, while Joana turned to me:

"Your mother and I thought that we should start planning the wedding today."

I looked up from my porridge and nodded:

The sooner we finished the preparations the sooner the marriage could take place, which meant that my family would return home. I didn't want to strain Joana's and Henry's patience any longer than necessary.

"That sounds good." I answered and finished my breakfast shortly after.

Then Henry and I parted ways, he went with my father and I stayed seated in between Joana and my mother. Both obviously excited about this marriage. Even though for very different reasons. My mother because she couldn't believe I would marry an Earl and become a Countess. Joana on the other hand was happy to see her son happy. Besides I had the feeling, or maybe the wish, that she liked me and was looking forward to me becoming her daughter-in-law.

After hours of planning and having dinner without Henry because he had some important business to attend to, I fell into my bed and sighed deeply.

This had been a rather stressful day and I was glad to have some peace and quiet.

As if someone was trying to punish me for that thought I heard a knock on my door.

For a moment I stayed on the bed and thought about just ignoring it. I had enough of dresses, decorations and desserts. The dressmaker would come tomorrow, Joana had informed me. To start sewing my wedding gown.

But I had never been into dresses or ribbons, so I could think of a lot of things more interesting than talking about fabrics, cuts and designs.

When I heard the knock again. I decided that it would be very impolite to just ignore it. So I sat up and sighed:

"Yes?"

Despite my tiredness, I smiled when I saw Henry walking into my room. He closed the door behind himself and I was sure, that my mother wouldn't like that.

She had said, that I shouldn't be alone with Henry in one room until we were married because "men were all the same". I wasn't quite sure what she meant with that, but I knew that I liked to be with him. Besides, we were engaged, so I didn't really see the problem in spending time with him alone.

"You look tired." He smiled and sat down next to me.

"I am. All this planning is really exhausting."

"I'm sorry." he said and took my hand in his.

"You don't have to be. Just a few weeks, then the planning is over. And you are going through so much more trouble with my family, then I can handle a little planning."

"I actually like part of your family." he said. Which surprised me. Was he serious?

"Who?" I asked wide eyed.

"Your father."

"But he is… Mr. Darcy doesn't like him. Because he thinks he is too outspoken and at times insulting."

"Well, I'm not Mr. Darcy." Henry answered and kissed my cheek. I blushed dark crimson.

"I know that." I said breathlessly.

"And I really like your father. I like his honesty." This obviously had something to do with the conversation they had earlier.

"What did he say to you?" I asked interested and looked up into his face which was only inches from mine.

"He warned me." Henry answered chuckling. Before I could ask what exactly he meant with that, he started to explain it to me. " He told me that if I ever hurt you. I would be sorry. That he doesn't care about my title or my money. He would find a way to pay me back."

My eyes grew huge when he said that. His closeness forgotten. My father had actually threatened him?

"God, I'm so sorry!" I gasped. Lowering my eyes to my hands I had clasped together in my lap.

"Don't be. I can understand him. Besides, I like his honesty! No need to apologize." He answered and touched my chin. He raised it, so I had to look at him.

"Never apologize for something you have no control over. Your father said it, he is the only one responsible for his actions. May they be good or bad. You need to understand, that no matter what your family does. I will never be angry with you."

I felt relieved hearing this. Because I had the bad feeling my family would offend him quite regularly until they left after our wedding.

"I should probably go now." He said and interrupted my thoughts. I watched him get up and couldn't help but feel disappointed.

"Really?" I asked getting up as well. It hadn't seen much of him today.

"Yes. Our mothers won't like it to find me here, besides I don't know how much longer I can act like I care what's appropriate." He gave me a short kiss on my forehead and left the room. I stayed behind utterly confused. I didn't know what to make of his words. Maybe I was too tired. So I decided to rest and worry about everything else on the next day.

* * *

That's it for now guys, hope you liked it. So please R&R


	22. Mr Henceforth  again

I am soo sorry, I just realized how LONG it has been since my last update. I hope someone is still reading this. If you are let me know, alright.

So, to make it up to you, here is an extra long chapter and just to inform you, there is some action coming up :)

So enjoy and please R&R

* * *

Only two and a half weeks were left until Henry and I would get married. I couldn't wait for it. And I was rather happy, that all planning was finished.

It had taken almost two weeks to take care of everything.

For a little over two weeks my family and I stayed at Charleton Park and I loved it. Joana and I had even formed a routine of sitting in the salon after breakfast for a few hours. Talking, or playing cards. She often asked me to play the piano for her and she always complimented my playing. Sometimes Henry joined us and sat in his favourite chair at the window while we talked, or stood next to me when I played the piano.

My mother and Kitty spent most of their time in the park, or in the town centre nearby. Kitty had been rather excited about a few very nice Gentlemen she had met in the city. At least that was what she had said, but she had liked Wickam too. That didn't speak for her knowledge of the human nature.

I was now reading a book, sitting in Henry's chair at the window, as the light was the best over there. Joana had a small tambour frame in her hands and stitched small yellow flowers into the white fabric. She was very good with stitching in contrast to my sewing or stitching skills.

We both looked up from what we had been doing when a young woman hurried into the room. She curtsied shortly before she turned to me and said:

"There is a man asking for you Miss Bennet." I looked confused at her and Joana asked the question that was in my head.

"Who is it Sophie?"

"Of course. Excuse me Milady. It is a Mr. James Henceforth." I could feel all the blood rushing from my face. Mr. Henceforth was here? Why?

I simply stared at the young maid, not able to form a whole sentence.

"Send him in." Joana smiled and got up. She walked over to me and looked me right in the eye.

"I am not sure what he wants, but brace yourself. You will be the Countess soon. You need to face even the most horrible situations with a smile on your face." She advised me and of course she was right. But I was scared of what he could want.

Because I didn't want to disappoint her. I rose from my seat, squared my shoulders and held my head high. I put the most relaxed expression on I could manage.

Joana nodded approvingly, placing her hand on my shoulder.

"Very good my dear. Now we will see what this man wants." I of course had told her everything about my engagement with him. So this man was no stranger to her.

Not long after our little talk an obviously displeased Mr. Henceforth stormed into the room. He looked at me and came closer.

"This is a scandal. You cannot just revoke the engagement. You agreed to marry me and if your family name means anything to you, you wouldn't dishonour it with such a low act." For a moment I was too shocked to say something. But then I caught myself.

"I am very sorry Mr. Henceforth. But as you might have realized I was uncertain about the marriage from the beginning. My mother talked me into it. I only said yes, because I wanted to please my family. This isn't meant as an insult of your personality. I am sure you are a wonderful man and you will find another woman who will be very happy to marry you. But I am not this woman."

He glared at me and started pacing up and down inside the salon.

"I cannot believe this. Rejected by someone like you. I should have known that a woman of your social standing has no morals whatsoever. And that is how you thank me for my kindness. I saved you from becoming a spinster, as no one else would ever want you." I wondered shortly what my father had written in the annulment. Had he no idea why I was here? And did he forget that Joana was with us in the room? But before I could explain anything, he continued his rant:

"Just look at you. Plain Mary Bennet, who would ever want to marry a woman like you? You would be a disgrace to every man. You and your family are below me and will always be nothing but vulgar and repulsive. I was willing to save you from that foul life. But your family decides that I am the one not good enough for you. You must have lost your mind. Or it is just as your looks, plain and…"

"That is enough!" Joana demanded with an angry voice. She obviously saw that I was trembling. No one had ever shouted at me like that and had said so many hateful things to me. I was sure I wouldn't be able to say one word. But that wasn't necessary. Joana was angry for the both of us.

"How dare you come into my house. Pay no respect to the rules. And insult my soon to be daughter? This is inexcusable. I will see to it, that the King himself hears about this. This is outrageous. And just to inform you. Mary won't end as a spinster. She will be loved and cherished as the next Countess of Suffolk, with my son Henry as her husband. You can name yourself lucky, that he isn't here. He wouldn't have reacted as nicely as I did. Now I want you to apologize to Mary. Turn around and leave. If I ever, see you again. I promise you, you will lose everything you own."

Mr. Henceforth had gotten paler and paler, with each word coming out of Joana's mouth. I had never seen her this furious. Her blue eyes were blazing and even though she wasn't really tall. She looked intimidating. When she made a step towards him, he backed away. Even though he was four inches taller than her.

I turned my eyes from Joana to Mr. Henceforth who made a step towards me. I could still see the anger in his eyes.

"Forgive me." he whispered. Then he whirled around and stormed out of the house.

With a heavy sigh I sank to the ground in the middle of the living room. My knees didn't support me any longer.

Joana stood close to me. I could see that she was so angry, that her whole body was shaking. I took her hand in mine and with a heavy sigh she sank to the ground right next to me,

"Thank you!" I whispered and Joana nodded. A moment we were both silent until she spoke again.

"I haven't been this angry in a long time. This man is impossible. I will write at once to the King." Joana raged, got up again and stormed from the salon. I stayed behind, not quite sure what to do. After a short moment I got up and sat down on a couch nearby. I hadn't expected this and I was curious what my father had written to him. So I decided to go and look for him.

He usually spend the morning in the library. I would probably find him there too. I quickly made my way to my favourite room of the mansion.

And I was right. When I opened the door to the library I saw him in the armchair next to the window. He heard me coming, because he looked up and closed his book.

"Good Morning Mary. You look flustered, are you alright?"

"I guess so. But I need to talk to you. It's important."

"Of course. Sit down." He said and mentioned to the seat in front of him. I did and said:

"Mr. Henceforth just visited and he was rather upset." At that my father looked just as surprised as I had felt before.

"What did he want?"

"That is what I would like to know too. He obviously didn't know why I am here. So what did you write to him?"

"Ah well… now that I think about it. I can understand that me might want to get an explanation." he said and rubbed his chin. That made me even more curious.

"So?" I asked again, hoping he would tell me.

"To be honest. I wrote to him before your Mr. Howard asked me to do so. I saw how unhappy you were and I was certain that Lizzy would make you change your mind. So I wrote to him, while I was at Pemberley to talk to her."

That surprised me. He had revoked the engagement without my knowledge?

"Why? You couldn't be so sure that Lizzy would make me change my mind. What if I had insisted on marrying him?"

"I would have locked you into your room until you came to your senses. But gladly I didn't have to do that."

"But it wasn't Lizzy who made me change my mind." I smiled. I felt really happy, that he valued my happiness so highly.

"I know and for that I will be forever grateful to your fiancé."

"Thank you, for everything." I said and meant every word of it. I was so grateful to him and I wanted him to know that. Without hesitating once I hugged him, which I hadn't done in years. At first he was surprised I could feel that, but then he sighed and put his arms around me.

"You don't have to thank me. I am your father, all I want for you is your happiness." I bit back the tears that were burning in my eyes. I didn't want to cry. Because of that I let go of him and smiled at him.

"I think I better go now. So you can return to your book." To my immense surprise he nodded and I could see that he had tears in his eyes as well.

Smiling even brighter I left the library. For a moment I stood unsure in front of the door until I decided to talk a walk. The gardens of the mansion were so beautiful, I couldn't get enough of them.

My tears were quickly forgotten, as I made my way through the house and out of it. I took a deep breath of the fresh air before I started to walk down the way towards the rose garden.

It was funny how wonderful my life had turned out. It had changed so much over the last couple of weeks. If anyone had told me before it would change like this, I wouldn't have believed him.

But I couldn't be more happy and I couldn't wait to see and find out what my new life would be like in a few more weeks.

* * *

That's it for now! Tell me what you think! Until next time. Which won't be that far in the future, I promise!


	23. Everything's over

Hi everyone, thanks so much for your reviews. I didn't expect so many after neglecting this fic for so long.

I'm glad you liked it and the father/daughter moment Mary and Mr. Benett had.

Now without further ado. Here is the next chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

-One week later-

I stood in the salon at the window and watched the gardens, fighting my excitement. There was only one week left until I would marry Henry and I couldn't wait. Not only because I wanted to be his wife, but also because my family would leave the morning after. My mother had made it her personal goal to drive me mad, so it seemed, while Kitty spent her day chasing Henry. I wasn't sure what to think of that. It was obvious, that she was quite smitten with him, and I couldn't even be angry at her for that. After all Henry was the most handsome man I had ever seen and he was also rich.

At first I had been a little jealous, to be honest, but after half a day I changed my mind. Because Henry had paid her no attention whatsoever, when I was near and from what Kitty told my mother, it wasn't much better when I wasn't there.

It was funny. After all those things Henry said to me in the rose garden, I felt more secure. Sure of myself. He had said it, only an idiot didn't want me and Henry wasn't one, of that I was sure.

So I watched with slight amusement Kitty following Henry and trying to engage him in conversations, which he quickly and politely ended. He didn't want to raise her hopes.

I broke out of my thoughts, when the door burst open. Someone had pushed it so hard, that it hit the walls. I instantly became worried when I saw Henry and Joana walking into the room. Henry looked like he wanted to murder someone, while Joana looked like she had seen a ghost.

"Is everything alright?" I asked worried, making a step towards my fiancé.

"No… unfortunately it isn't. This just came." He barked and I didn't feel offended as it was obvious that his tone had nothing to do with me, just that he was very upset.

I looked at the letter in his hand and felt a bad feeling creeping up on me.

"What is it?" I asked timid.

"A letter from the king. He is forbidding us to marry because he thinks your family isn't good enough. Because he doesn't want to be associated with your family."

I felt like fainting. That couldn't be! I felt my perfect life crumbling, falling away from beneath my feet. So I wouldn't be his wife?

Henry saw the tears in my eyes an only moments later stood in front of me, his hands on my shoulders.

"Don't worry. I will take care of everything. I will not allow him to decide about my life. I will immediately travel to London and talk to the King myself." He reassured me. But to me it felt like it wouldn't do any good. If the king didn't want us to be married, there was no way we could do it. So I would end up as an old spinster, as Mr. Henceforth had told me.

"Henry, please be reasonable. Your anger is understandable but it won't change George's mind. I know him very well."

"Then tell me what I am supposed to do. You won't tell me to just accept his decision." Henry almost shouted. I had never heard him talk like that to his mother, or anyone else for that matter, before. But I was interested in Joana's answer. Would she fight for me? Did she like me enough to go against the King's wish?

"Of course not. And you should go to London, but take Mary with you. I think he will change his mind, when he gets to know her. And don't forget Charlotte, she is a wonderful woman and has quite an influence on him. If you get her to speak for you, I am sure George will approve of your marriage."

I felt relieved, because Joana sounded so confident, like this was just a small obstacle. Even though I still doubted that. I just wasn't allowed to be happy.

Henry nodded and turned back to look at me.

"How fast can you pack?"

"It won't take long!" I answered, breathless. I was so scared that my life would return to the way it had been before I had met Henry.

"Good. Then hurry. I will take care of everything else in the meantime." Henry said and without another word hurried from the room.

"Go packing Mary. But before you leave. Please come back here. I will write a letter to George and one for Charlotte. You can give those to them. I hope it will help." I nodded, feeling overwhelmed.

But I did as she had told me. I left the salon, walked to my room and packed a few things into a bag. I was sure, that we didn't need much, as we weren't intending on staying longer, than absolutely necessary.

I closed the bag with my finest dresses in it, turned back around and left my room. In the Salon Joana was waiting with two letters. On each of those letters I could see a name. I took the letters from her and put them into my bag, very carefully.

"Don't worry, my dear. I promise everything will work out. I won't accept anyone else as my daughter in law. Besides, I am sure Henry would never even consider marrying someone else." Joana smiled at me and then for the first time, she hugged me. I felt tears in my eyes, but fought them down.

"Thank you." I whispered and let go of her.

"Now hurry. So we can still celebrate your wedding in a week." She smiled at me and I nodded, before quickly leaving the room.

Henry was waiting impatiently in front of the house. His horse already saddled. Which surprised me. We would ride on his horse to London? That was a two day ride. Besides, we couldn't just go all alone. After that my reputation would be ruined and what kind of impression would that make on the king and the queen? My doubts vanished, when I saw the four guards on their horses.

"Are you ready?" Henry asked and steered his stallion closer to me.

I nodded slowly, still unsure about a two day ride on a horseback.

"Yes." I smiled and laid my hand in his. Henry hoisted me up on the back of his horse in front of him.

He wrapped one arm around my middle, while his other held the reins. My heart pounded in my chest, not only because of our closeness, but also because I was afraid of losing him.

"Don't worry. We will get married, one way or another." he reassured me. Confused I turned to look at him.

"What do you mean?"

* * *

That's it. Hope you liked it, please review, if you got the time and tell me what you think.


	24. Do everything

Hi everyone, I'm back with the next chapter. Rather short, I know, but I try to update asap.

Now enjoy a little cuteness before hell breaks loose.

Thanks to all of you who read and reviewed this so far.

And don't forget to review this time, PLEASE :D

* * *

"Don't worry. We will get married, one way or another." he reassured me. Confused I turned to look at him.

"What do you mean?"

"I thought it was obvious. If the King doesn't allow us to get married, I will give up my title, then he has no right to decide for me anymore."

I stared at Henry for a long moment. I couldn't believe what he had said. He would give up his title, his wealth, just to be with me?

"But what about your mother? You cannot do that to her." I said wide eyed. Joana would be heartbroken.

"She wouldn't care. As long as I am happy. The title never meant anything to her. So she would understand." Henry reassured me while we almost flew on his horse. I had never traveled this fast. But then again, it had never been this urgent.

"I… I don't know what to say."

"There is nothing you can say. I made up my mind. Nothing can make me change it. But I still hope that the King will understand how wrong he is about you."

I really hoped so too, though I didn't believe it completely.

How could someone as unimportant as me make the King himself change his mind?

"Don't be scared my love. I promise you that everything will work out." Henry whispered into my ear and pulled me a little closer to his body.

I sighed silently and enjoyed the feeling, even though it brought tears to my eyes, thinking that this might be our last time together.

* * *

It was midday, when Henry allowed the horses to rest for a short moment. He lifted me off the horse and I looked into his clear blue eyes. They were clouded with worry, which I could understand. I felt the same.

"I need to hold you for a moment. Is that alright?" he asked, his voice low. Of course it was, how could he ask?

"You don't have to ask." I answered, taking the initiative to step forward and wrap my arms around him. He sighed and placed his around my shoulders.

"I thought with the guards around, you might feel uncomfortable with this." he whispered into my hair, while I hid my face in his shoulder. I never wanted to let go. I was so scared, that I might lose him.

"We will fight for this." he said a few moments later, his voice serious. Of course we would. He wasn't someone I would give up without a fight.

Even though I wasn't much of a fighter.

"I'm so scared." I whispered and wasn't sure if he heard me, as he didn't answer. I was about to repeat my words, when he sighed deeply.

"I know. I am too."

* * *

"_You are a disgrace to him and that will also affect me. I won__'__t allow you to ever marry him and bring shame on our house.__"_

I gasped and sat up in my bed in the inn we were spending the night. My heart was racing when I remembered the dream in which the king told me that I would never be allowed to marry Henry. It was horrible and my whole body was still shaking.

Before I knew what I was doing I had put on my dressing gown and slipped out of my room. I knew Henry was resting in the room next to mine and I needed to talk to him, needed him to tell me that everything would be alright.

Uncertain I stood in front of his door, but only for a moment. Because I didn't want anyone to see me standing in front of Henry's room barely dressed, in the middle of the night.

I knocked shortly before entering. When I closed the door behind me I heard his worried voice:

"Are you alright?"

"Yes… it's just…" I felt stupid being here. Not sure what to tell him I fell silent. At least until he stood in front of me tipped my chin up with his finger, so that I had to look him in the eye.

"You look troubled. Are you sure you are alright?"

"I had this dream… and it really worried me."

"Oh, my love. What was it about?" Henry asked and pulled me into his arms. Just when rested my forehead against his shoulder, I realized that he wasn't wearing a shirt. I was probably blushing dark crimson and tried to free myself from his embrace.

"I shouldn't have come. This is very inappropriate." I told him, but Henry just chuckled and pulled me back into his arms.

"So?" he merely said holding me close. Despite all the rules we were breaking at this very moment I enjoyed being close to him.

* * *

That's it for now, stay tuned for the meeting with the king

R&R please :D


	25. Meeting the Queen

I'm back again, I told you, I would update asap and I did :D

I want to thank all my faithful reviewers and readers of this story.

I hope you enjoy the next chapter and don't forget to review.

* * *

"Do you want to tell me about your dream?" he asked, leading me back to his bed. We sat down next to each other and I answered, feeling unsure:

"About the king and that we will never be allowed to marry."

"But I already told you that no matter what happens, we will get married." Henry answered and once again pulled me into his embrace.

"But I don't want you to give up everything in order to be with me." I told him, my voice muffled by his chest. And he felt wonderful warm, even though I was sure I was madly blushing again.

"The more important thing is, that I WILL give up everything just to be with you." He told me stroking my back soothingly.

"I guess I should get back to my room and try to find some sleep, before we continue our way." I told him after a few moments in his arms. It felt wonderful, but I couldn't stay here.

"You know, my bed is very comfortable. You could stay here, if you want." Henry offered, sounding unsure for the first time since I've known him.

"We cannot do that…" I gasped and distanced myself from him.

"Why not? It is not like something will happen. We will just share one bed, sleeping and not having nightmares. Nothing to be upset about."

"But if anyone sees me leaving in the morning, they will think… and what about the king? What if he hears about this? Then he will never allow us to marry."

"No one needs to know. I will wake you as soon as the sun rises and then you can quickly slip back into your room, before someone sees your in here."

I felt torn, part of me wanted to be offended by his offer, just thinking of the decencies and that this was very far from it. But another part just wanted to be close to him and find a few hours of sleep in his arms.

"Alright then." I heard myself say and was absolutely dumbfounded by my own words, I hadn't expected that.

I could see a big smile breaking out on Henry's face and that alone was worth all the trouble, we could get into.

He pulled me next to him into the small bed and placed the covers over both of us. My forehead rested against his warm chest, while he had his arms wrapped around me. I sighed deeply, it felt wonderful being close to him, feeling his arms around me. I was sure that I would have no problems sleeping.

"Good night, Henry." I whispered, my lips almost touching his chest, but I couldn't care less. I was too content at this very moment, to worry.

"Sweet dreams, my love." he whispered into my ear and not long after that I fell asleep.

* * *

I heard a voice next to my ear. But it wasn't my mother, nor one of my sisters. It was a male voice, but that couldn't be, mother would never allow a man to be in our bedrooms.

Surely, it was my imagination, I turned around and snuggled down into the pillows. My action was followed by a low chuckled and a hand brushing my long hair away from my face and neck. Then someone leaned close to my ear and whispered:

"As much as I would love to watch you sleep for a little longer, you have to get up, before the rest of the inn wakes." the low, slightly husky voice told me and only moments later I knew whose voice it was.

With a startled gasp I sat up, staring wide eyed at the man in my bed. Or his bed for that matter. My whole face heated up, what had come over me? How could I allow myself to sleep in his bed? I must have been out of my mind.

"I really should go." I breathed, jumped out of the bed and hurried towards the door. I stopped in front of it and pulled it open, very slowly. When I saw the hallway completely deserted, I quickly made my way back to my room. As soon as the door closed behind me, I felt some kind of relief washing over me. No one had seen me coming from Henry's room, barely dressed in the early morning.

Ignoring my burning cheeks I decided to get ready for the rest of the way. We would reach London in the early afternoon and I was beyond scared, thinking of what would come.

* * *

"Be calm my love, everything will be well. I will talk to the king, in the meantime you have the chance to talk to his wife, the queen." Henry told me, when we stood in the entrance hall of the royal palace.

"I will try my best." I sighed and watched him leave with one of the servants. Alone, without him, I felt even more worried.

"Miss Bennet?" I turned around and saw a middle aged woman walking up to me, she even smiled a little, while looking at me.

"Yes?"

"The Queen will now see you." she told me and lead me down a hallway. The palace was wonderful. I had never seen anything this. But I didn't have time to enjoy the view, as my nervousness distracted me.

The lady-in-waiting opened the door of a noble salon and allowed me to walk into it.

I bit my lip, when I saw a woman and three more ladies sitting by a window. All eyes turned towards me and my heart started to race in my chest.

"Please leave us alone." The Queen said and all Ladies got up from their chairs, quickly leaving the room.

I curtsied as graceful as possible, at least I hoped so and then walked over to her.

"I have a letter for you, your majesty." I handed her the letter Joana had written and obviously the Queen knew her handwriting because she smiled.

"From Joana. How nice. Sit, while I read." she told me and I did just that, waiting nervously for the Queen to finish the letter.

I watched her closely while she read the letter and saw her smile a few times. Was that good, or bad? I didn't know and it didn't help my nervousness.

When she finally looked up, I had my fingers tightly intertwined to stop them from shaking.

"So, you are the girl George has been telling me about…" she looked at me for a very long moment. I couldn't read her expression and just waited while my heart was pounding.

"Yes, your majesty."

"You don't seem as lewd, as I expected." I blushed hearing that. Lewd? Me?

* * *

That's it for now, love it? hate it? Tell me, please.


	26. Trouble

Hi everyone, thanks for all your wonderful reviews, I am glad you like the story.

I hope you will enjoy the next chapter too and maybe even review, pls ;)

* * *

"Tell me girl, why do you want to marry Henry?" The queen demanded to know and for a moment, I thought hard about that.

I wanted to marry him because I liked him, but not only that. I knew him for almost six months and I was sure about one thing.

"Because I love him." I said it out loud, for the first time. Even Henry didn't know.

The Queen laughed at my words and I felt a little offended, why was she laughing at me? Just because I had feelings for him?

"That, my girl, is not the answer I have expected. You truly feel that strong for him?"

"Yes, your majesty."

"What is it I heard about your family being…. Let's say uncommon."

"Well, not all of them are. My oldest sister Jane is married to Mr. Charles Bingley and my second oldest Elisabeth is married to Mr. Darcy, who is the nephew of Lady Catherine de Burgh."

"Horrible woman, if you ask me. I had the displeasure of meeting her once, did you meet her?" The queen answered looking almost disgusted. It fit to what Lizzy had told me about Mr. Darcy's aunt.

"I did not, your majesty."

"Your luck. But I didn't know about your sisters being married to respectable men like Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy. How about the rest of your family?"

Now I felt insecure, especially thinking about Lydia and Wickham.

"I have a younger sister, Catherine, she is not married yet, but my other sister Lydia is. To an officer, named George Wickham. My parents live in Hertfordshire…" I didn't know what more to say, so I fell silent looking at the Queen, who studied me intently.

"Is it true, that your sister, what was her name, Lydia eloped with her husband?"

I cringed because I had hoped she wouldn't know that.

"Yes, your majesty. But she was very young and acting foolish. He took advantage of her innocence and the feelings she had for him." I tried to defend Lydia, even though I knew how foolish her actions had been. She had been young and inexperienced.

"I heard about this Mr. Wickham, he tried the same with Miss Darcy, did he not?"

"Yes, her brother was quick enough to stop them before anything could happen." I hurried to say, glad that Georgiana hadn't done what Lydia did.

"Do you read Miss Bennet?" The Queen asked suddenly. I wasn't sure why she had changed the topic so abruptly, but I was rather glad about it.

"Yes, whenever my time allows it."

"Do you play the piano?" she asked further and I nodded once more.

"With passion, your majesty."

"Do you paint?"

"No. I never had much love for painting."

"Me neither. I much more enjoy the reality, myself." The Queen answered and I wasn't sure what all these questions were about.

"Miss Bennet, let me be honest with you. It seems that we have been misinformed about you and at least part of your family."

"What do you mean?"

"I do not want to go into detail, but we received horrible information about you. After I read the letter Joana wrote to me and talked to you myself, I can see why Henry thinks that you are good enough for his family. I will talk to the King immediately, to see what I can do. But you should know that the final decision is in his hands."

The Queen said and I felt incredibly relived. The Queen was on my side? Thought I was good enough for Henry's family. Could it be that Henry was right, and everything would indeed end well?

"Thank you, your majesty."

"You are free to have a look around the palace, while I talk to the King." The Queen said and got up, I quickly followed her example and left the room after her. She was rather tall for a woman, which also added to the fact that she appeared slightly intimidating.

"Thank you again, your majesty." I said and watched her walk down the hallway, followed by half a dozen of Ladies.

I sighed and turned to walk down the hallway to my left, interested in what I might find at the end.

To my surprise I reached a glass door, which lead to a wonderful garden. I smiled and stepped out into the sunlight.

"So it really is true…." I heard a female voice. Somehow that voice seemed familiar. When I turned towards the voice I immediately knew why. The woman in front of me was incredibly beautiful.

"Camille…" I gasped and looked at Henry's former fiancé. I hadn't expected her to be at the palace.

"You did not expect me, did you?" she asked walking closer to me. Looking stunning in her green dress with her hair pinned to the back of her head.

"To be honest. I did not."

"Then you are more foolish than I thought. Did you really think I would just accept Henry exchanging me by someone like you?"

* * *

That's it for now. Have a great weekend!


	27. Once and for all

Alright-y guys, here's the next chapter.

Thanks for your great reviews they always make my day and make writing this story even more wonderful :)

So without further ado, her it is:

* * *

I wasn't completely sure what she meant with her words. Until it dawned on me.

"You told the Queen how unfitting I am…"

"I am surprised you understood that. It seems like you are brighter than I thought. But that won't change anything. The king will never allow your marriage and Henry will understand how wrong you are for him. I will become the next Countess and not some strumpet like you." I felt as if she had slapped me. People had never liked me and I was used to it, but no one had ever faced me with such hatred.

But one thing hit me more than her hate and that was her reason for wanting Henry. She wanted to be the next Countess. She didn't care about Henry at all.

For the first time in my life, I felt my anger taking over my actions.

I made a step towards her and said with a dangerously low voice.

"You are a horrible person. You just think about yourself and don't care about Henry at all. What you want is money and influence. That is the difference between us because I could not care less about his money or the title. The only reason I want to be married to him, is because I love him and I want to spend the rest of my life with him."

Camille looked shocked, but not for the reason I had in mind.

I only understood what shocked her, when I heard a voice behind me.

"You should leave." Henry's voice was deadly. She nodded, wide eyed before hurrying back into the palace. I just stood there, my heart beating wildly in my chest.

Had he heard my love confession?

"Are you well?" he asked, placing his hands on my shoulders, softly turning me, so that I was facing him.

"Yes. I was just…"

"Angry?" He offered with a chuckle and I looked up at him. That was when the truth of my words really dawned on me. I loved him more than I had ever loved something before and I would never allow anything to separate us.

"Yes." I nodded with a smile. Still wondering if he had heard my confession.

"The king wants to meet you." He interrupted my thoughts and I nodded, nervous once more.

"I do not think there is a need for you to be nervous. You convinced the queen and also the king seemed to be surprised by what I said and the letter my mother wrote."

"Very well then…" I took a deep breath and took hold of the crook of his arm. He led me back into the palace, down a few hallways until we stopped in front what could only be the throne room.

The guards allowed us the entrance and I soon faced not only the queen but also the king of England. Never in my life had I thought I would meet them face to face.

I curtsied, glad to have a hold on Henry's arm. I was so nervous I would have probably stumbled without it.

"Your majesties." I said, proud that my voice wasn't shaking. Camille was also there, she stood not far from us and glared at me. But I couldn't care less.

"Miss Bennet, please come closer." The king said and brought my attention back to him. I shortly looked at Henry, he gave me a curt nod, so I let go of his arm and walked closer to the king and his wife.

He looked intently at me.

"Envy can be a hideous thing." he said and I blinked in confusion.

"Yes, your majesty."

"Women are prone to such low emotions, do you agree, Miss Bennet?" What was I supposed to say to that? He was the king, I couldn't disagree with him, even though I wanted to.

"I think everyone is prone to it, depending on their character." I answered looking at Camille out of the corner of my eye. I had never hated a person before, but I did hate her for the reasons she wanted to marry Henry.

"True. But it was the envy of a woman that brought you here." Now I understood what he was talking about. Camille. I could see that her head had turned bright red by now and I had difficulties fighting my smile.

"Yes, your majesty."

"You are a pretty girl, I can understand why Henry wants you as his wife and I don't see anything wrong with that. So go ahead and get married, you have my blessing." I felt like fainting. Had I heard him right? We had his blessing, we could get married without Henry having to give up his title?

"What… but your majesty. You can't do that, she is nothing but a …" Camille interrupted and hurried to stand next to me.

"Don't you dare contradict me!" he bellowed not even letting her finish while raising from his chair. Camille paled and so did I. The king could be really intimidating and his anger was obvious.

"Forgive me, you majesty, I didn't…" Camille started, but the king didn't let her finish once again.

"Yes, you didn't. I advise you to leave the palace immediately and do not return." he told her solemnly. I felt my heart racing and unable to move. Even though I just wanted to turn around and leave myself.

Henry obviously saw how shaky I felt because he walked up to me, placed his hand on the small of my back and said:

"Thank you your highness."

He bowed and I remembered my upbringing and curtsied. Shortly after I followed Henry out of the room without looking once at Camille who followed us. As soon as the doors closed behind us, he pulled me into his arms.

"I told you everything would end well."

I smiled against his shoulder, wrapping my arms tightly around him. I heard Camille's footsteps became lighter until I couldn't hear her anymore. And I could live with never seeing her again.

"I will never doubt you again." I whispered holding onto Henry for dear life, glad that all was over.

"How about we leave for home? After all our marriage is in four days." I gasped remembering that, I had completely forgotten how close our wedding day was.

"I would like that very much." I smiled and let go of him. Henry took my hand in his and led me out of the palace. He told one of the servants to inform the guards who had been with us and get his horse ready.

It was time to go home, once and for all.

* * *

Don't worry that's not the end of the story. There are still a few chapters coming, but we are heading towards the end. But who knows maybe I'll write a sequel, that is if someone is interested in reading it ;)


	28. I love you

A short but cute (hopefully) chapter for all my wonderful reviewers who made it possible to hit the big 200!

I mean, how amazing is that, more than 200 reviews? You guys rock!

So thanks again for sticking with me, we are getting closer and closer to the end.

Just one more thing, I've been thinking about the sequel and I'm not sure because I have two ideas, I though about actually writing "the forgotten sister" from Henry's POV or story that follows Henry and Mary into their marriage and (possible) problems.

Tell me what you think about these ideas, pls.

Now, finally the next chapter!

* * *

I sighed happily and pulled the covers of my bed up to my chin. We were staying at the same inn, we had on our way to London, with one difference though. I felt completely at ease. We had the king's blessing for our wedding and I was sure of my feelings for Henry.

It couldn't get any better than this.

I sat up in my bed when I heard a soft knock on my door. It was already dark, everyone was asleep, so who could it be? When I climbed out of bed the door opened and Henry stepped into my room. He closed the door silently behind himself and smiled at me. I felt my heart beating fast in my chest. What was he doing here?

"I need to talk to you." he told me and sounded more serious than I had ever heard him.

"About what?" I asked confused and watched him walking closer to me.

"Something very important." he answered and looked down at me. I couldn't read the expression in his eyes.

"You are frightening me…" I said and I really was. I had never seen him like this and it scared me.

"There is no need to be frightened, my love. I just need to talk to you about your conversation with Camille and what you told her."

I felt my heart missing a beat. My conversation with Camille? So he had heard my confession?

"I… you don't have to say anything to it… just forget it." I said quickly, sure that I had embarrassed myself by saying this.

"You don't mean it then?" he asked and I bit my lip. I didn't want to lie to him. I did love him, but I didn't want him to think that he had to say anything back.

"I do. But it is alright with me that you don't feel the same way." I quickly told him, feeling my cheeks burning up again.

"Who said that I don't?" he asked with small smile. I just stared at him. Could he be serious?

"I …" I said, even though I didn't know what to say. But that wasn't necessary anyway. Because Henry stopped me from doing so. He closed the small gap between us and kissed me.

I didn't wait long to return his kiss and wrap my arms around his strong body.

His hands were tangled in my long hair and his body so close to mine that I had difficulties to stand on my feet.

His lips on mine sent shivers down my spine like nothing I had ever felt before, even better than the last time and I didn't want it to end.

When Henry pulled his lips from mine, I couldn't help myself. I let out a small, disappointed sigh.

Henry obviously heard it because he chuckled low in his chest, while taking my face in his warm hands.

"I loved you since our time at Pemberley. Why do you think I want to marry you?" he told me and I gasped. He loved me?

Tears sprung to my eyes and I had difficulties holding them back.

"Don't cry, my love. It pains me."

"I am sorry." I sniffed, closing my eyes for a moment. Fighting back the tears.

"There is no need to apologize. It take those are happy tears?"

"Of course. How could they not be? I love you so much." I laughed, while I still had tears in my eyes.

Henry smiled with me, before pulling me into his arms until I could rest my head on his chest.

* * *

That's it, I know VERY short, but I promise I'll update soon! Life's just a bit hectic at the moment.


	29. Home

Hi everyone, I'm back and here is the next chapter. Hope you all enjoy it.

* * *

"You are back. I was so nervous. What did George say?" Joana asked out of breath, shortly after we reached the mansion. Henry had just lifted me off his horse, when his mother had come running.

"He gave us his blessing, of course." Henry told her with an arrogant smile and I giggled. He always seemed so sure of himself.

"Oh, that is wonderful. But that means you are getting married the day after tomorrow." Joana gasped and pulled her son in for a quick hug, shortly followed by me.

"That is correct." Henry said, obviously amused.

"We still have so much to do. You need to try on your gown. The dressmaker has done her job wonderfully, now we just need to see if it fits you."

"I am sure that can wait until later. We are both exhausted from the travel, I am sure Mary would like to take a bath and rest."

"Of course. I forgot my manners. Let me take care of everything my dear. Henry, I trust you to escort her _to_ her room." She put special emphasis on the to and I was not quite sure why, but I blushed.

"Of course, mother." Henry smiled and placed his hand on the small of my back, leading me into the mansion.

"I wonder if my family missed me." I said aloud after we climbed the stairs to the first floor.

"We were not gone for more than three days; I do not think they have. Otherwise my mother would have said something." Henry answered and he was probably right. It was possible not to meet each other in days, the mansion was big enough. Besides, I had avoided my mother and Kitty as much as possible anyway.

Not long after we reached the door to my room. Henry smiled down at me.

"Rest. I will make sure the maids prepare a bath for you and also bring you something to eat."

"Thank you." I smiled at him, before opening the door and walking into my room. When the door closed behind me, I sighed deeply. I could not wait to be married to him. The good thing was that it was only two days until I would be married.

And that to the man I loved. I had never expected my life to be like this.

Exhausted from the travel I climbed into the bed. I just wanted to rest for a short moment until my bath arrived.

When I opened my eyes the next time, I saw that it was dark outside. That surprised me because it had been noon, when we returned to the mansion.

This could only mean that I had slept until dawn.

I must have been more exhausted than I expected.

Now I felt much better. I climbed out of my bed and saw a tray of food waiting for me on the table close to the window. So the maids had seen that I was asleep and left the food so I could eat when I woke up.

With a smile, I sat down and realized how hungry I was. I emptied the trey within minutes. A content sigh escaped my lips, while leaning back in my chair.

I looked up, when I heard a knock on my door.

"Yes." I answered, feeling confused. Who could this be?

When the door opened, my question was answered immediately. It was Joana and she smiled brightly.

"I know I told Henry that I let you rest. Nevertheless, I really want you to see the dress. It is beautiful and I cannot wait for you to marry."

I smiled at my soon to be mother. It was overwhelming how much she was looking forward to the wedding. Sometimes it seemed she did that even more than I did.

"I will not tell him." I told her with a smile and she quickly walked into my room, closing the door behind her. She had a clothes bag in her hand and I guessed that my wedding dress was inside of it.

Looking at it, I grew excited myself. What would the dress look like? And more important, what would Henry say when he saw her in it?

"Don't worry. It is beautiful." she reassured me before placing the bag on my bed. She pulled the gown out of it and I gasped.

It was indeed beautiful. The most beautiful dress I had ever seen. It was different from what I had expected after talking to the dressmaker. But the result was even better.

With a smile, I walked closed and touched the soft fabric of the dress.

"It is perfect." I whispered, feeling a lamb in my throat.

"I know. Try it on." Joanna answered, just as excited as I felt.

Joana helped me out of my day dress and into the beautiful white dress with the exquisite embroidery.

She carefully closed the hooks in the back of the dress and said:

"Now turn around, please."

I did and Joana gasped, I could see the tears in her eyes and was immediately worried. Did it look horrible?

My fear was dispelled when Joana said in a breathy voice:

"You look gorgeous."

"Really?" I asked unsure, looking down at myself. Joana laughed, placed her hands on my shoulders and turned me around, so I could look at myself in the mirror.

The dress really fit perfectly and actually made me like my figure for the first time ever. I always had the feeling to be too womanly, but in this dress, it seemed that every curve of my body was perfect.

"It is wonderful." I gasped, feeling overwhelmed by the sight in front of me.

"Henry will love it." she said and I smiled brightly. Was she serious? I hoped he did. I wanted to stun him, as I had never been able to do so with another man.

"Very well, that shall be enough for today. I will send you your bath up and then you can relax, before tomorrow. It will be a very hectic day." Joana said and helped me to take the dress back off.

She carefully placed it into the bag and closed it.

"I will take this to my room, if that is alright with you." she smiled and I nodded, still feeling overwhelmed by how pretty the dress was and how much I had liked seeing myself in it.

"Good. Then I see you tomorrow." Joana smiled one last time before leaving the room. I sighed deeply and sank down onto the nearest chair. This all felt like a dream. But if it was, I never wanted to wake up.


	30. Getting Ready

Thanks for all your support. You guys are amazing.

Now have Fun with the newest chapter.

* * *

I was rudely awakened the next morning, by a knock on my door. Before I had the chance to say or even move, the door was pushed open and Lizzy hurried into the room.

One hand on her growing stomach and a big smile on her face.

"Mary. I am so happy for you. This mansion is just breathtaking." she gushed, hurrying over to me und hugging me. I smiled. That I knew and I still couldn't believe it.

"Thank you. I am so glad that you are here. Is Mr. Darcy with you?"

"Of course. He would never miss your wedding. He is greeting your fiancé at the moment." Lizzy said and I felt a hot shiver running down my back, just thinking of him as my fiancé.

"I am happy to have you here, if you wait one moment, I get dressed and I can show you the library. It is unbelievable." The sparkle in Lizzy's eyes told me that she couldn't wait to see my favorite place of the mansion.

I quickly climbed out of my bed and went to a smaller room nearby, washing myself and getting dressed into a simple blue dress. Which was still very elegant, as most dresses Joana had given me. They all had been hers once, but she said she couldn't wear them anymore, as she was too old. I didn't think so, as she was incredible beautiful and didn't look old to me.

After I had pulled my hair back into the usual bun I wore, I exited the small changing room.

"You look very pretty." Lizzy told me with a smile and I blushed a little. I still wasn't used to getting compliments and wasn't sure if it was the truth or if the people were just being nice.

"Thank you. Shall we go?" I asked and offered my hand to her. Lizzy smiled brightly, taking my hand. I lead her out of my room and down the hallway to the library that wasn't far from where I stayed.

I opened the door of the library and smiled when I heard Lizzy's gasp.

"That is…" she said, not finding a word to describe it. She looked around wide eyed and I knew exactly how she felt. I had felt the same way when I had walked into the library for the first time.

I was so distracted by my sister, that I didn't see the other people in the room. At least not until he spoke.

"Good Morning. I hope you rested well." I turned to look at Henry and Mr. Darcy standing close to one of the windows.

"Yes. I have." I smiled at him, before I turned to Mr. Darcy.

"It is nice to see you again. Mr. Darcy." I greeted him and curtsied.

"The pleasure is all mine." he answered bowing his head, before walking over to his wife. I could see the love he felt for her and his unborn child and that made me smile. This was what Lizzy deserved.

I couldn't watch them any longer because Henry walked up to me and smiled shortly before saying:

"You look very pretty, my love." He shortly touched my cheek with his fingertips, before leaning a little closer to me.

"I prefer your hair open though. You have no reason to hide it. It looks perfect." he whispered and I felt myself blushing.

"Thank you." I actually had forgotten about my hair this morning when Lizzy had woken me. It was so natural for me to pull my hair into the bun in the nape of my neck. That I hadn't thought about it. Or the fact that Henry had told me a few times, he prefered to see my hair open.

"I need to see your dress Mary. I am so excited." Lizzy interrupted our moment and Henry immediately made a step back. I could see by the look on his face that he wasn't happy about that interruption. But he kept a straight face.

"Of course. Come with me. I will show it to you." I smiled and left the room with my favorite sister.

* * *

"Incredible…" I heard a high pitched voice when I was on my way to my room after showing my dress to Lizzy. She had loved it and so did I. I couldn't get enough of looking at it.

And there was just one day separating me from wearing it and consequently becoming Henry's wife.

"I know. You have to see the ballroom though." another female voice answered and I froze when I realized who was happily gushing in the entrance hall.

Two of my sisters. Lydia and Kitty.

But when Lydia was at the mansion, it meant that Mr. Wickham was around too. I really didn't want him in my home.

I hurried over to the banister to have a look into the entrance hall and it was as I had expected. Next to my wide eyed sister Lydia stood no one else than the man who had tried to charm Georgina in running away with him.

Fortunately she had told her brother about it, but my sister hadn't been this smart. She still didn't understand how horrible her actions had been. What trouble and pain she had caused the family.

I stood at the banister, unsure of what to do. Should I go downstairs and greet them, or put it off for a little while. As I knew that sooner or later I had to greet them.

The decision was taken from me, when hey spotted me at the top of the stairs.

"Mariiiii…." Lydia screeched and I rolled my eyes, before descending the stairs. In the entrance hall I was faced with three of the most difficult and strenuous people I had ever met.

Kitty, Lydia and Mr. Wickham. Though I didn't even glance his way. Still remembering what he had done to Georgiana.

* * *

That's it for now. Hope you liked it, feedback is (as always) very much appreciated!


	31. Dislike

Okay, a short little update. Sorry for the wait, I was REALLY busy with work, so I apologize!

* * *

"Lydia." I smiled the best smile I could manage.

"This mansion is just wonderful." she told me and I nodded. That I knew.

"Thank you. Should I ask one of the maids to show you to your room, you must be exhausted." I offered, hoping to finish this awkward conversation. At least the next time I had to face them I wouldn't be alone. Lizzy would be there and more importantly Henry and Joana.

"That is not necessary. I am sure there is a lot to see around here and Kitty will show us everything. I see you later, I guess…" Lydia smiled and I nodded, excusing myself and hurrying towards the garden.

When I couldn't hear my sisters anymore I sighed deeply. One part of me, even though I felt ashamed for that, was happy when the wedding was finally over and my family would leave me alone.

It wasn't a nice thing though, to think something like that. They were my family after all. And I felt awful for thinking so low of them.

"You look flustered, are you alright?" I heard a familiar voice and smiled because his voice always had a soothing effect on me.

"My sister Lydia and her husband just arrived." I said and turned to look at Henry who sat in one of the comfortable armchairs on the terrace, obviously busy with some correspondence that was laying in front of him.

He lowered the letter he was holding and I felt bad for interrupting his work. So I hurried to say:

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb your work. I just wanted some fresh air, I will go for a walk in the park and you can return to your correspondence."

But before I could even move I heard him sigh.

"Mary…. Come here, please." His voice sounded strained and I felt insecure immediately. What had I done wrong? I really didn't want to interrupt him, or trouble him in any way.

Unsure I walked closer to him, chewing on my bottom lip. When I was close enough, he took hold of my hands and pulled me to the lounge, next to him.

"I am very sorry, I really didn't mean to disturb you…" I started, but stopped, when Henry placed one of his hands on my cheek while shaking his head.

"Why are you apologizing?" he asked, his bright blue eyes boring into mine.

"I just didn't want to trouble you…" I offered helplessly and shrugged.

"Did you know I was out here?"

"No…"

"Did you know I was working?"

"No." I answered, feeling more and more confused by the minute.

"Then what are apologizing for?"

"I … don't know." I finally said and he chuckled, obviously amused.

"You still need to learn that you don't have to apologize all the time. Especially for things you have no control over. Besides, I don't mind being interrupted by you." he told me with a smile that made my heart beat faster.

I didn't know what to say to his words, so I just stayed silent and looked into his clear, blue eyes.

"You said your sister arrived…" he reminded me and I nodded slowly.

"Yes. And her husband…Mr. Wickham." I spat. I resented that man, for all the pain he had brought upon the people I loved.

"Why do you dislike him so much?" Henry asked curious. He of course knew, like everyone else, about the fact that my sister had run off with him, but that was all.

"He almost prevented Lizzy and Mr. Darcy from finding one another, because he was telling her lies about him… and…. Well he did something horrible with a good friend of mine, but I cannot tell you. I am sorry. But it is very private and I promised never to tell anyone."

"That is quite alright." Henry reassured me with a small smile.

"I heard a few things about this man from Mr. Darcy. It seems he is not the most pleasant man."

"That is an understatement!" I told him with a roll of my eyes.

"You said something about a walk in the park, may I join you?" He changed the subject, flashing me a charming smile. Did he really think I would ever say no to him?

"Of course." I smiled back and watched him get up. He offered his arm to me and I took it with a little giggle.

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I try to update as soon as possible.


	32. Speak

Okay, one last chapter before the big finale! The Wedding and that'll also be the end of the story. So stay tuned for the end. And thanks for reading and reviewing so far.

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I walked down the main staircase the next day, in a very good mood. Only one day until I would be married and I couldn't wait.

My good mood was chastened when I walked into the entrance hall and heard my sisters' voices again.

Kitty and Lydia were talking excitedly about something. And while walking closer I could make out the words.

"You will not believe how handsome he is…" I heard Kitty sigh and needed only a very short moment to understand who they were talking about. Obviously Henry, as Kitty had been quite obsessed with him for a while now.

"Then what does he want with Mary?" Lydia asked loud enough for me to hear. I wasn't surprised by those words. I knew I was plain and I didn't understand his interest in me myself.

"I don't know. But he loves her." Kitty answered which brought a smile to my face. That was right. He did. He had told me so and showed it to me with everything he did. I liked the fact though that his love for me was so obvious that even someone like Kitty saw it.

"Love? Love is overrated." I wasn't surprised to hear this from Lydia. Being married to Mr. Wickham must have done something with her view of the world.

I felt sad for her, that she wasn't as happy, as Jane, Lizzy or I. I just wanted the best for my sisters, no matter how much they annoyed me at times.

"Love is everything." Kitty answered, her voice strong. That made me smile. Maybe there was some hope left for my youngest sister after all.

I didn't want to interrupt this conversation, so I turned around and made my way out of the hall towards the stables.

After sitting on Henry's huge stallion, I had discovered my love for the big animals. I often went to the stables to have a look at them or pet them.

Henry had more than once offered to teach me how to ride a horse and I was sure that after our marriage, when my mother was gone. I would say yes to that offer.

I stepped into the stables and inhaled the strong scent of the horses.

With a smile I walked down the aisle in between the horse boxes and stopped in front of a slender mare. She was of a dark brown color with very intelligent eyes.

I stopped in front of her box and raised my hand to her big head.

"Hello Beautiful." I whispered, petting the head of the mare.

It didn't take me long to realize that I wasn't alone. I turned slightly to see who it was and bit back a groan when I saw the blond head of George Wickham.

He had seen me too and was now walking closer to me.

"Miss Bennet." he greeted me with a nod. But I wouldn't talk to him. Not after what he had done to my family.

So I ignored him, while continuing to pet the pretty mare.

He obviously didn't understand that I wasn't willing to talk to him. Because he stepped even closer saying:

"You know, I never realized how beautiful you are. Until now."

I rolled my eyes at that. He probably had some kind of plan to get money from Henry's family through me. But he should better not try that.

"Don't talk to me." I told him very seriously, which seemed to surprise him.

"Why not?"

"Because you are a horrible person. I don't want you in my home, I don't want you anywhere near my family and I don't want you anywhere near me. So just leave me alone." I told him with a huff. Surprised by my own forwardness. Usually I wasn't this outspoken, but he just edged me to do it.

"I am your sister's husband." he told me, obviously surprised by my words.

"I know that, but I don't appreciate how you became that. Lydia deserves someone better than you. Or just someone who is not you. Besides, I know everything about the lies you told Lizzy about Mr. Darcy, as well as what you tried to do to my friend Georgiana." I turned to glare at him. I had only once before felt this angry and that had been at the king's palace in the garden, where I had met Camille again.

Wickham stared at me, at a loss for words. Which didn't surprise me. He never appeared to be the intelligent type of man.

"How can you talk to me like that? How dare you!" he finally growled and made a step towards me. As he was almost one head taller than I, his size and obvious anger scared me.

"It is the truth." I answered none the less. Feeling very brave and acting very foolish.

"You are nothing but a common strumpet, how dare you speak to me like that. You think you are better than I, now that you are going to marry an Earl? But you are not. You will always be nothing. So don't forget where your place is."

I almost had to laugh at his words. It was strange, I didn't feel offended. I just saw him like he really was. An insecure, little man who was jealous of everyone who was happier than he was.

I almost felt bad for him.

"You can name yourself lucky that the Earl didn't hear you talking to me like that…" I smiled at the thought of that. Henry would have killed him.

"I will simply forget what happened here because I feel sorry for you. You will never be happy with what you have because you always want more. You are a greedy, sad little man and I am happy that after tomorrow I don't have to associate with you ever again."

Without giving him the chance to say something, I turned around and walked back to the main house. He was probably still standing wide eyed in the stables not sure what had just happened.

That thought made me smile again and lifted my spirits. It felt good to stand up for myself and I was sure that I had to thank Joana and Henry for that. Before I had met them, I would have never dared to talk to someone like that.

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So, how'd you like this side of Mary? It was a lot of fun to write so I hope you like it and the Finale is going to be up as soon as possible. Until then...


	33. The Wedding

Okay, this is it. **The final chapter** - Extra long, but still the last to this story. Thank you all so much for sticking with me throughout the journey

You are all great and I will inform you as soon as I post the sequel on which I'm working already, that is if you are interested in reading it.

Here goes. Thanks for all your reviews, so far.

* * *

My heart was pounding in my chest and I could hear the blood rushing in my ears. Even though it had never happened to me before, I actually felt like fainting.

I sat in front of the mirror, while one of the maids finished to pin my hair up. It looked wonderful, but I was so nervous that I couldn't really care about it.

I would be married within the hour, to the man I loved. And maybe even more important, the man who loved me back.

"You look beautiful." Lizzy gushed, sitting behind me on my bed.

"Thank you." I smiled nervously and couldn't help but ask.

"Were you this nervous before your wedding with Mr. Darcy?"

"Don't tell anyone, but I felt like fainting." Lizzy admitted with a smile and I sighed a little. Because that made me feel better.

"But it feels incredible once you are married. Believe me it is worth all the nervousness." Lizzy continued and I smiled brightly. I was sure of that. I only wished, we were already married.

I looked up, when the door opened and my mother hurried into the room, followed by Kitty and Lydia.

"I cannot believe this. Only one daughter left. The rest married to respectable gentlemen." She said, her face bright red from the excitement. I looked at Lizzy who actually had to bite back a laugh.

I felt the same, but I could somehow enjoy it, due to the fact that they would leave the next day.

Lydia and Kitty didn't seem as excited though. Quite the contrary. They were actually pouting, which didn't really surprise me. After all, their jealousy was not surprising for me. Especially Lydia's. With a husband like that I would be envious, as well.

I thanked god for finding someone like Henry. Someone I could love. Someone who loved me, despite all my faults. Not matter how many there were.

"I think it is almost time…" Lizzy smiled at me and as if this was some kind of cue, we heard a knock on the door.

Shortly after, my father entered the room.

"You may now go to the hall and wait for us, there is something I would like to tell my daughter, before she gets married." He said and even though my mother looked like she wanted to argue. She didn't. Which probably had to do with the fact that Lizzy took hold of her arm and led her from the room. Followed by my sisters.

"You want to talk to me about something?" I asked, curious what this might be.

"I just wanted to tell you that you might get married today, but you will always be my daughter. So if you ever feel unhappy or sad you have a home at Longbourn Manor." I smiled at him through the tears that had gathered in my eyes. I loved him very much for the proposal he just made.

So with a watery smile, I thanked him, before he pulled me into his embrace.

"Don't cry. Not on your wedding day." He whispered into my ear. And I nodded at his shoulder. He was right. I wanted to be happy. This was a joyous day I would never forget.

"Very well. Shall we go then? I am sure your fiancé is already waiting for us." I couldn't help but smile at that. I couldn't wait to see Henry in the church and then finally being married to him.

So I placed my hand on my father's arm and allowed him to lead me out of my room, down the stairs and through a long hallway towards the private chapel in which everyone was waiting for me.

I could hear the murmur of voices, when we got closer and felt my heart speeding in my chest.

I had never felt this nervous before, I could barely breathe. I just hoped it would get better as soon as I saw Henry.

When the doors of the chapel were opened for us, I heard music starting to play, followed by the shuffling of feet, when everyone got up.

I walked into the chapel and smiled, it was decorated with wonderful yellow flowers. My family was sitting in the first row, as well as my soon to be mother-in-law. There were dozens of people in the chapel I didn't know. All of them important, I guessed.

But that didn't matter at all, when my eyes fell on the handsom man waiting at the end of the aisle.

Henry was dressed in a simple white dress shirt, with a black vest and a black overcoat to his black pants. When our eyes met, he smiled a breathtaking smile at me, which made my knees go weak. I couldn't believe it that I was about to marry this man.

My father lead me closer to him and I could already feel tears in my eyes.

We stopped in front of Henry and the minister.

He saw my tears and after my father kissed my cheek he took hold of my hand and whispered:

"Don't cry my love."

"I'm just so happy." I smiled back through my tears.

Henry squeezed my hand shortly, before the minister started to speak and we turned to look at him. Just like everyone else inside the room. Though I couldn't find myself to care about anyone but Henry and I.

"We are gathered here today to witness the coming together of two people, Mary and Henry, whose hearts and spirits are entwined as one. They now desire to profess before all the world their intention henceforth to walk the road of life together.

Dedication, love, and joy can grow only when you nourish them together. Stand fast in that hope and confidence, having faith in your shared destiny just as strongly as you have faith in yourselves and in one another today. Only with this spirit can you forge a union that will strengthen and endure all the days of your lives."

I bit my bottom lip, my heart pounding in my chest. This really was it. I would be married very soon.

The minister turned to Henry and looked him straight in the eye:

"Henry CharlesHoward 3. Earl of Suffolk, will you receive Miss Mary Benett as your wife? Will you pledge to her your love, faith and tenderness, cherishing her with a husband's loyalty and devotion?"

Henry wasn't looking at the minister though. I could feel his eyes on me and smiled. The tears from before forgotten. How could I cry, while marrying the man I loved?

„I will." He finally said, smiling at me. The smile that made my knees go weak.

The minister turned to me, looking pleased. When his grey eyes met mine, I felt my heart speeding even more.

„Mary Benett, will you receive Henry Charles Howard as your husband? Will you pledge to him your love, faith and tenderness, cherishing him with a wife's loyalty and devotion?" Was there even another way, than to answer with yes? As I wanted nothing more than to be married to him and spending the rest of my life with him.

"I will." I smiled and looked into Henry's wonderful blue eyes. I could see his happiness and the love he felt for me and I knew I would never grow tired of looking into those eyes.

"The rings…" I heard the minister saying and I knew that someone stepped up to us, but I couldn't care. I was just looking at Henry. At least until he took a simple golden ring from a white cushion.

His bigger hand took hold of mine and he smiled at me before he said:

"I take you, Mary, as my friend and love, beside me and apart from me, in laughter and in tears, in conflict and tranquility, asking that you be no other than yourself, loving what I know of you, trusting what I do not know yet, in all the ways that life may find us." I remembered the first time Joana had told m about the vow. And it was just as wonderful as I remembered it, even though it sounded much better coming out of his mouth. It actually made a shiver run down my back.

He obviously felt it, because his smile widened and he placed the ring on my finger.

"I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you."

I knew that I needed to take his ring now, but I couldn't move. Somehow. I just wanted to keep standing here like this, looking up at him.

He nudged me softly and whispered:

"I think we should proceed."

I felt myself blushing, when I nodded and took his ring and then his hand.

"I take you, Henry, as my friend and love, beside me and apart from me, in laughter and in tears, in conflict and tranquility, asking that you be no other than yourself, loving what I know of you, trusting what I do not know yet, in all the ways that life may find us."

It seemed that the words spoken by me had an effect on Henry as well, because he squeezed my hand a little harder and his eyes turned a shade darker. That once again made me go weak in my knees.

I placed the ring on his finger, continuing with the vow:

"I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you."

"With this statement made of love and trust, which we have just heard, I now pronounce you husband and wife."

My heart skipped a beat at his words. I was married. I was a married woman. Mary Howard, wife of Henry Charles Howard. The thought alone made me feel faint.

It was wonderful and frightening at the same time.

And while I looked up at my husband I knew that I wanted nothing more than for him to kiss me right now. Right here.

But I knew that we couldn't do this. Even now it was not proper to share such intimacies in front of other people. So I knew I would have to wait until later.

I smiled, while looking into Henry's eyes because it was obvious how frustrated he was about this.

So he did the only thing he could do. He leaned down and pressed a short kiss on my forehead, but I was sure that I heard him mumble:

"Later."

And this one word sounded so much like a promise of something, I wasn't completely sure what it was, that goosebumbs broke out all over my body.

Not long after I was pulled into a whirlwind of congratulations and hugs, from my family and then followed by people that I didn't know, but Henry obviously. He introduced them all, but I didn't hear one word of what he was saying. Or of what I was saying, because I knew I was speaking from time to time. All I could concentrate on was Henry being so close to me, feeling his warm body next to me. His hand on the small of my back and his eyes finding mine more often with an expression that made my stomach feel queezy.

* * *

Hours later I found myself grow tired. The festivities were going on for hours and all I wanted was to curl up in a soft bed. With Henry next to me. I thought with a smile.

As if my husband -gasp- could read my thoughts he placed his hand on my elbow and said:

"It seems as everyone is preocupied. How about we go to our room and find some quiet?"

I nodded happily, allowed him to take my hand and lead me out of the ballroom. No one seemed to see us exiting the room and I smiled at that. I didn't want to answer any more questions tonight.

Henry lead me up the stairs to a part of the house I had never been to before. But he had also told me about our rooms and that Joana didn't want me to see it until we were married, as it was supposed to be a wedding gift. When I looked at the broad shoulders of the man in front of me though. I couldn't find myself caring about rooms and gifts.

He ended my thoughts, when he opend a double winged door to our right an pulled into a small salon. It was beautiful, that I knew. But soon after that was forgotten, because the door closed after us and Henry turned to look at me.

Suddenly I found myself unable to breathe, remembering what Lizzy and my mother had told me shortly before the wedding. Of what I should expect of the wedding night. The thought alone my my heart race.

Henry must have sensed my nervousness, as he smiled at me and raised his hand to cup my cheek.

"Do not be nervous my love. Everything will be perfect." He promised runing his other hand soothingly over my back.

"I know… I love you…. I trust you." I said, which was nothing but the truth. How could I doubt him, or even be afraid, when I had a loving husband like him?

"Good, because I have been waiting all night to do this." He grinned, before leaning down and kissing me.

And if I was completely honest with myself, then I had been waiting for this as well.

His hand on my back pulled me closer to him so that our bodies were touching, which made me gasp into our kiss. The feelings running through my body made it impossible for me to think and I liked to think. I always thought, I had never expected that one day I would find myself unable to form one thought.

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and enjoyed the kiss until we had to end it in order to breathe.

"I love you." his whispered his voice hoarse, when he pressed his lips to my jaw. "Forever." he continued and this time he kissed my neck, just below my ear, which made a soft moan escape my lips.

Before I knew what was happening he had scooped me up into his arms and carried me through the salon towards another door, of which I assumed that it lead to the bedroom.

Somehow I wasn't afraid, nor even nervous. I knew I loved him and I knew that whatever would happen between us would be just as perfect.

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The END


	34. Sequel

Hello everyone – just a short notice

I posted the sequel to "the forgotten sister" called "the forgotten man" and I would be happy if tell me what you think about it

It is actually the retelling of Mary's story from Henry's POV


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